GOLDEN   DREAMS 


LEADEN    REALITIES 


RALPH    EAVEN. 

I.\TRODUCTORY    CHAPTER, 

FRANCIS   FOGIE,    Sen.,    Esq. 


ielw  |0rk:  ^ 

G.   p.   PUTNAM   &    CO.,    10   PARK    PLACE. 

M.DCCC.LIII. 


Enl«K<l  ftcconling  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  tho  jenr  1?53, 

By  G.  P.  Putnam  and  Company, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Coart  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern  District  of 

New  York. 


DirLiN  h  Brothers,  Printers  and  Stcreot\-pers,  *20  Nortti  Willinni  street,  N.  Y. 


/ 


INTRODUCTORY  CHAPTER. 


O 0  !  I  have  come  to  be  an  old  man  at  last!  and  I  hav'nt  been  a 
^  great  while  about  it  either.  No  one  is  a  great  while  about  any- 
thing nowadays.  Where  is  my  life  ?  heighho !  here  I  am  holding 
tight  on  to  the  little  end,  and  it  slipping  all  the  while  faster  and 
faster  out  of  my  fingers.  And  no  wonder ;  sixty-nine  years  all 
taking  hold  of  the  rope,  and  all  pulling  together,  walk  it  off  as  fast 
as  two  engines  racing  to  a  fire,  and  here  is  the  seventieth  running 
to  join  them.  By  the  way,  what  a  strange  dream  that  was  I  had 
the  other  night !  if  I  were  superstitious,  I  should  suppose  it  meant 
something,  for  I  never  had  any  like  it  before — the  world  on  fire ! 
ten  thousand  bells  ringing  the  alarm !  hurry  up  the  engines ! 
pour  on  water !  but  the  ocean  is  burning  too !  Payne's  prob- 
lem is  solved  at  last.  Hark  to  those  volcanoes !  great  guns,  double 
shotted,  there  goes  Mount  Etna,  and  there's  Vesuvius,  and  that, 
that  must  be  Cotapaxi ;  what  a  tremendous  burst  there'll  be  when 
the  fire  reaches  the  great  central  magazine  !  but  where  are  the 
mourners  ?  do  the  stars  miss  one  of  their  number  ?  will  its  ashes 
reach  their  sphere  ? 

Well,  I  have  seen  a  great  deal — magnetic  telegraph  railroads, 
woman's  rights,  crystal  palaces,  California,  Australia,  and  now, 
ships  of  twelve  thousand  tons,  the  Atlantic  turned  into  a  horse- 
pond  :  what  is  the  world  coming  to  ?  There  was  no  such  thing 
when  I  was  young — we  didn't  profess  then  to  be  wiser  than  all  be- 
fore us.  I'm  glad  I  shall  soon  be  out  of  the  way.  And  yet  I 
should  like  to  see  the  end.  The  end,  when  will  that  be  ?  and  who 
can  tell  what  it  will  be  ?  Heighho  !  it  racks  my  old  heart  all  to 
pieces,  like  a  locomotive  on  a  corduroy  road.     No  wonder  man's 


2Gir/;)2 


C  I  N  T  R  O  D  C  C  T  O  It  Y     C  11  A  P  T  E  R  . 

life  has  been  shortened  to  three  score  years  and  ten.  How  poor 
old  Methusalah  would  have  stared  !  why  we  live  as  long  in  a  year 
as  he  did  in  one  of  his  sleepy  centuries.  He  never  could  have  stood 
the  racket,  unless  he  had  first  been  dried  in  an  oven.  It  would 
have  fretted  the  skin  off  him,  as  it  did  off  that  big  juicy  apple  I  had 
in  my  pocket  when  I  rode  S<iuire  Smith's  old  trotting  horse.  Let 
me  see,  that  was  forty,  fifty,  yes,  fiftj-'One  years  ago — strange  how 
I  remember  such  a  trifle. 

Well,  well,  I  have  overlapped  mj^  time,  I  don't  seem  to  belong 
here.  That  was  what  that  young  fire-brain,  what's  his  name,  said 
this  morning.  He  and  I  Avere  Uke  an  ox  yoked  with  a  locomotive. 
I'm  the  ox ;  yes,  yes,  he's  right ;  I  can't  keep  up  with  their  new- 
fangled ways ;  nor  I  do'nt  want  to  either,  they  are  too  fast  alto- 
gether. All  I  want  is  to  die  and  be  buried  before  they  harness 
their  steam  to  the  hearses ;  and  yet  they've  done  that  already. 
"What  was  that  railroad  train  the  other  day  at  Norwalk  but  a  train 
of  hearses,  a  great  funeral  procession  ?  only  that  they  put  the  folks 
into  them  before  they  were  dead. 

Yes,  yes,  the  dead  ride  fast — tramp,  tramp,  along  the  land  they 
go  ;  splash,  splash,  along  the  sea ;  and  why  shouldn't  they,  if  they 
like  it,  as  well  as  their  betters  ? 

And  I  won't  be  buried  in  the  citj'  neither,  nor  in  Greenwood. 
I've  been  crowded  enough  in  my  life-time — I'll  have  room  enough 
after  I'm  dead.  But  where  shall  I  go  ?  There  are  places  a  plenty 
now,  l)ut  in  fifty  years,  or  ten,  who  can  tell  that  there  won't  be  a 
hundred  thousand  trampling  over  my  grave  ?  Five  dollars  a  square 
foot,  let  me  see,  that  would  be  thirty  dollars.  Alas,  poor  Yorick  ! 
who  would  give  thirtj^  dollars  to  secure  you  a  quiet  .sleep  ? 

That  was  a  glorious  idea  of  that  world-weary  old  Goth  to  be 
buried  under  a  river,  forever  sounding  his  funeral  dirge ;  but  it's  no 
sort  of  use  now — that's  the  verj^  place  to  be  turned  topsey-turvey. 
I'll  be  sunk  in  the  very  middle  of  the  Atlantic — yes,  that'll  do — I 
shall  be  safe  enough  there,  in  an  iron  coffin.  But  wait  a  minute. 
They  are  talking  already  of  laying  their  wires  to  Europe — ^yes,  and 
then  I  shall  hardly  have  settled  mj'^self  for  a  nap  of  a  thousand 
years  or  so,  when  they'll  be  sure  to  come  foul  of  me,  and  perhaps 
fish  me  up  again,  or  at  least  give  me  a  confounded  shock. 

I  used  to  think  I  would  be  buried  by  my  old  mother,  under  the 


Introductory    Chapter.  7 

old  elm  in  the  quiet  churchyard.  But  it's  no  use :  the  churchyard 
is  quiet  no  longer ;  the  old  elm  is  as  dusty  and  worried  as  I ;  and 
the  old  tombstones  have  stopped  mourning  for  the  dead,  to  stare, 
and  gape,  and  gossip  over  the  living.  No,  I'll  not  be  buried  there, 
to  be  waked  up  every  hour  by  that  infernal  whistle. 

Heighho  !  what  a  strange  thing  it  is  to  grow  old  all  alone,  and 
when  everything  else  is  so  young!  I  used  to  think  the  world 
would  grow  old  with  me,  but  I  believe  it's  younger  than  ever.  But 
it's  no  such  thing — it's  only  paint  and  varnish  ;  the  older  it  grows, 
the  thicker  they  lay  it  on.  "Wash  that  off,  and  what  is  there  but 
a  withered,  wrinkled  old  hag  ?  Faugh !  I'd  as  lieve  sit  down  to 
dinner  with  a  skeleton.  There's  nothing  old  but  the  hills. 
They're  not  ashamed  to  be  grey,  God  bless  'em  !  They  never  can 
paint  Mr.  Washington. 

How  I  love  the  sight  of  their  conscious  yet  unpretending 
majesty,  their  quiet,  self-reliant  strength  !  With  what  grand  and 
noble  pity  they  seem  to  look  down  on  our  fretting,  bustling  insigni- 
ficance ! 

But  stop.  Where  am  I  ?  right  in  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth 
century — the  last  of  my  race — the  last  of  the  old  fogies.  There's 
something  in  that.  There'll  never  be  another  after  me.  Noah,  he 
was  the  first,  and  I'm  the  last.  Who  is  there  to  mourn  for 
Logan  ? 

But,  no  matter.  They've  enough  to  do  to  mourn  for  themselves. 
From  my  soul  I  pity  them,  poor  helpless  creatures !  stuffed  full  of 
self-sufficiency,  they've  no  longer  any  occasion  for  our  services ; 
they're  no  longer  sensible  of  any  obligation.  When  I  was  young 
it  was  the  fashion  to  respect  old  age  for  what  it  had  done,  if  not 
for  what  it  could  do ;  but  we  have  changed  all  that. 

l^He  tiirjis  over  some  old  'papers  and  reads.l 

"Jul}-,  1812.  Some  reflections  on  the  exceeding  folly  of  grow- 
ing old."  Let  me  see:  what  is  this?  Oh,  ha,  ha,  [laughing 
feeMy]  I  remember  now.  It's  that  paper  I  wrote  for  my  grand- 
father when  I  was  younger  and  not  so  wise  as  I  am  now ;  and 
sister  Mary — where  is  she  now,  I  wonder — she  wouldn't  let  me 
put  it  in  his  way. 

[iZe  reads  here  and  there.l 

"  What  a  fine  thing  it  is  to  be  young,  and  in  this  time  of  the  world 


8  Introductory    Chapter. 

too !  ^Ve  are  the  cream  of  all  that  haVe  gone  before  us.  We 
really  live  their  life  ;  we  begin  where  they  ended ;  wc  stand  on 
their  shoulders ;  their  whole  learning  is  only  our  alphabet ;  they 
laid  the  foundation,  we  build  the  superstructure.  But  poor  old 
fogies  !  they  would  never  have  got  any  farther  if  they  had  lived  a 
thousand  years.  It's  a  lucky  thing  for  the  world  that  they  didn't 
— useless  lumber,  withered  stubble,  trees  dead  at  the  root — cut, 
burn,  and  bury  them  out  of  the  way  :  they  have  done  all  the  good 
in  the  world  they  ever  can  do,  and  the  world  wants  them  no 
longer." 

"  They  are  a  clog  on  its  machinery — dirt  in  its  wheels — rust  in 
its  joints — a  pebble  in  its  shoe — it's  never  been  a  merry  world  since 
old  men  came  into  fashion." 

"  If  a  man  must  grow  old,  if  he  will  be  so  unreasonable  and  un- 
seasonable, let  him  keep  it  to  himself  and  not  infect  everything 
about  him.  If  his  hair  is  grey,  is  that  any  reason  why  the  sun- 
shine should  be  so  too  ? — if  he  walks  with  crutches,  must  the 
brooks  stop  running  ? — if  his  eyes  are  dim,  must  we  put  out  the 
stars  or  clap  a  pair  of  spectacles  on  to  the  nose  of  the  moon  ?" 

"  Heaven  bless  the  mark !  nothing  grows  old  but  man  and  his 
inventions — the  sky  is  as  blue — the  sun's  eye,  though  he  has  but 
one,  is  as  bright — the  wind  is  as  frolicsome,  as  when  they  first 
shone  and  danced  through  Eden  ;  the  very  flowers,  though  they 
fade  and  go  out,  yet  keep  their  heart  j^oung  to  the  last — who  ever 
heard  of  a  decrepit  rose,  a  superannuated  violet,  or  a  greyheaded 
butterfly  ?" 

"/never  mean  to  grow  old.  I  can  ride  as  fast  and  as  far  as 
an}''  of  them — my  heart  beats  as  many  beats  to  a  minute  as  the 
best,  no  one  shall  ever  ride  over  me,  or  cry  to  me  to  get  out  of 
his  way. — My  last  pulsation  shall  be  as  vigorous  as  any  that  pre- 
ceded it." 

[ffe  lays  dorcn  the  pajier  with  a  cold  shudder.']  Who  said  I  was 
old  ?  who  was  that  talking  about  being  buried  ?  away  with  such 
idle  fancies  !  I  shant  be  buried  these  twenty  years.  I'm  not  old — 
I'm  as  vigorous  and  active  as  ever  I  was  in  mj'  life — there's  as 
much  strcngili  in  that  arm  [here  he  stretches  out  his  right  arm, 
and  clasps  it  iri/h  his  left  hand]  as  when  I  was  thirty,  and  my 
limbs  are  as  light,  [he  gets  up  and  dances]  I  should  like  to  sec  the 


Introductory   Chapteu.  9 

young  man  that  could  tire  me  out,  [he  sits  dorcn  rather  suddenly] 
only  I  want  practice  to  strengthen  my  wind ;  and  as  for  my  mind, 
I  believe  it  is  capable  of  greater  exertion  than  ever,  [he  Iniits  his 
trow,  and  appears  to  he  solving  some  hnotty  question  in  state  or 
jtuance]  yes,  I  have  twenty  years  yet  as  good  as  the  best ;  hurrah 
boys  !  never  say  die  !  [he  sicings  his  hat  fectly  round  his  head, 
then  sits  down  in  a  tremor  of  shame  and  indignation  at  being 
detected  iy  his  youngest  cleric  in  such  outrageous  fashion]. 

In  this  state  he  takes  his  pen  and  with  infinite  labour  writes  these 
brief  observations,  as  if  all  the  fog  of  all  the  Fogies  were  in  his 
veins. 

If  the  author  of  the  following  narrative  had  taken  my  adv4ce,  he 
would  never  have  gone  to  California  in  the  first  place,  nor  written 
this  book  afterwards.  It  is  obvious  to  the  dullest  capacity  that  he 
wouldn't  have  written  the  book  if  he  hadn't  gone ;  and  as  for  the 
other,  he  allows  himself  in  the  very  first  chapter  that  I  did  all  I 
could  to  prevent  it.  It  may  be  gratifying  to  the  reader  to  know 
that  I  am  the  very  person  there  mentioned  in  such  flattering  terms, 
and  I  can  assure  him  that  that  account  is  by  no  means  exaggera- 
ted. I  believe  I  am,  at  least  I  have  always  enjoyed  the  reputation 
of  being  as  sober  and  prudent  as  my  neighbors ;  and  it  was  there- 
fore no  more  than  natural  that  I  should  express  the  unalterable 
conviction  there  referred  to.  I  added  moreover  my  reasons  for 
that  conviction  which  the  author  has  seen  fit  not  to  mention,  pos- 
sibly because  his  folly  and  obstinacy  would  thereby  appear  still 
more  inexcusable  than  they  do  now ;  but  he  shall  not  escape  so 
easily,  as  I  am  determined  to  set  the  whole  matter  in  the  clearest 
possible  light. 

My  first  and  principal  reason  then  was  that  I  did  not  believe 
there  was  any  such  place  as  California. 

"  No  such  place  as  California !  Well,  you  have  found  out  your 
mistake  by  this  time  I  suppose." 

Not  at  all,  I  don't  believe  it  now  any  more  than  I  did  then. 

"  What !  not  with  all  the  gold  that's  pouring  into  the  country, 
and  the  thousands  of  ships  and  hundreds  of  thousands  of  men  that 
have  gone  there !" 

Softly,  my  young  friend,  all  this  proves  nothing.  Indeed,  if 
you  have  seen  California,  you  of  course  are  justified  in  believing, 

1-- 


10  Introductory   Chapter. 

but  not  otherwise.^  I  remember  a  great  many  people  used  to  believe 
in  tiic  existence  of  such  a  man  as  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  and  the 
papers  were  full  of  the  subject,  just  as  they  are  novr  of  California. 
In  fact,  (I  was  younger  then  than  I  am  now,)  I  used  to  believe  in 
him  myself,  and  dare  say  I  should  have  gone  on  believing  to  this 
day  if  it  hadn't  been  for  that  little  book  of  the  Bishop  of  Berkshire 
proving  to  a  mathematical  certainty  that  such  a  series  of  events 
was  clearly  impossible  according  to  the  world's  history.  But  I'm 
sure  California  is  just  as  improbable,  just  as  much  out  of  the  com- 
mon course,  and  we've  no  more  proof,  in  fact  not  so  much,  of  its 
existence,  for  it's  a  good  deal  further  off,  and  though  it  is  a  little 
bigger,  it  can't  make  half  so  much  noise ;  so  that  is  about  equal. 
To  be  sure,  as  you  say,  any  number  of  men  and  ships  have  set  sail 
for  California,  but  that's  no  sign  that  they  ever  got  there.  They 
say  so  of  course,  for  no  one  likes  to  be  humbugged,  but  for  all  we 
know,  they  might  just  as  well  have  gone  to  India,  or  China,  or 
Japan.  I  have  noticed  they  are  never  very  fond  of  talking  about 
their  adventures,  and  when  they  are,  they  say  ver}--  little  about  the 
gold  they  have  brought  home,  though  that  after  all  is  the  only  real 
proof;  and  they  are  sure  to  go  into  a  huff  if  any  one  asks  them 
how  much  they  made,  or  to  give  some  ridiculous  and  impertinent 
answer.  So  you  see  that,  reasoning  d  priori,  the  balance  of 
probability  is  decidedly  opposed  to  the  existence  of  any  such 
country. 

But  supposing  that  there  is  such  a  country,  it  doesn't  follow  that 
there  is  any  gold  in  it.  In  fact  this  is  even  more  improbable  than 
the  other.  Tlierc  is  no  gold  in  New  York — why  should  there  be 
any  in  California?  Is  it  because  it  is  so  far  off?  or  because  it  lies 
on  the  Pacific  ?  or  because  it  is  good  for  nothing  else  ?  None  of  these 
reasons  will  answer.  There  are  other  countries  equally  distant, 
equally  valueless,  and  in  the  same  ocean,  but  they  contain  no  gold; 
why  tlicn,  I  say,  should  California  ? 

But  a  simple  proposition  will  set  the  matter  at  rest  at  once. 
The  world  has  now  existed,  according  to  the  strictest  calculation, 
six  thousand  years  ;  which  being  multiplied  by  three  hundred  and 
sixty-five,  the  number  of  days  in  a  year,  will  give  over  two  millions 
of  days,  on  any  of  which  the  gold  might  have  been  discovered.  The 
chances  then  that  .it  would  not  be  discovered  on  the  first  day  of 


Introductory    Chapter.  11 

the  six  thousand  and  first  year  are  as  two  millions  to  one.  If  we 
then  take  into  the  account,  that  during  all  this  time  the  population 
of  the  globe  has  averaged  about  five  hundred  millions,  and  that  all 
this  immense  number  has  never  made  this  discovery,  the  improba- 
bility that  it  should  be  made  by  a  single  individual,  and  one  too 
that  nobody  ever  heard  of,  is  as  five  hundred  millions  to  one ; 
and  these  two  chances  multiplied  together,  ought  surely  to  satisf}' 
any  reasonable  man  that  there  is  no  gold  there,  and  never  has 
been. 

Besides,  even  supposing  California  really  to  be,  and  to  be  as  full 
of  gold  as  it  is  represented,  my  acquaintance  with  the  character  of  the 
late  author,  was  enough  to  convince  me  that  he  would  never  get  a 
morsel  of  it.  I  was  not  very  well  acquainted  with  him,  to  be  sure, 
having  only  known  him  twenty  years  or  so,  and  his  character  be- 
ing of  that  shallow  order,  that  one  could  read  it  at  a  glance  if  he 
would  only  take  suflBcient  trouble ;  but  as  far  ag  I  did  know,  he 
was  always  an  idle  shiftless  fellow,  with  an  education  he  had  not 
the  capacity  to  improve,  nor  the  courage  entirely  to  disown,  so  he 
used  to  say,  though  I  must  confess  I  never  could  discover  why  it 
should  require  such  a  prodigious  effort.  He  had  waited  a  long 
time  in  hopes  something  would  turn  up,  and  used  to  justify  him- 
self in  this  particular  by  reference  to  one  Mr.  Wilkins  Micawber, 
who,  according  to  his  account,  had  amassed  a  considerable  fortune 
in  that  way ;  though  for  my  own  part  I  never  heard  of  such  an 
individual  before,  and  always  believed  that  to  De  one  of  his  own 
inventions. 

He  was  fond  too  of  talking,  in  his  barbarous  and  senseless  fash- 
ion, about  his  having  been  engaged,  at  such  an  early  age  that  he 
really  had  no  voice  in  the  matter,  to  one  Clio  or  Chloe,  some  person 
of  colour  I  suppose,  though  nobody  to  my  knowledge  ever  saw  her 
and  he  declared  that  now  he  was  arrived  at  years  of  discretion 
(discretion  indeed !)  as  the  laws  of  society,  which  he  was  pleased 
in  his  wisdom  to  pronounce  foolish  and  absurd,  rendered  a  divorce 
difficult,  he  was  determined  to  run  away  from  her  altogether  ;  and 
the  California  fever  breaking  out  just  then,  he  was  one  of  the  first 
to  be  taken.  But  though  California  seems  expressly  designed  by 
Providence  for  the  accommodation  and  relief  of  just  such  good-for- 
naughts,  lazy  clerks,  runaway  apprentices,  men  without  profesr 


12  Introductory   Chaptkr. 

sions,  and  professions  without  practice — he  was  really  as  unfit  for 
anything  of  the  kind  as  could  possibly  be  imairined  or  conceived 
of.  He  has  seen  fit  to  indulge  in  much  unseemly  and  unbecoming 
mirth  over  the  misfortunes  of  some  of  his  acquaintances,  but  I  will 
venture  on  my  own  authority  to  maintain  that  among  them  all  there 
was  not  one  but  was  better  calculated  to  make  his  way  in  the 
world,  and  in  California  too,  for  that  matter,  than  himself.  He 
might  have  walked  right  over  a  lump  of  gold  weighing  a  hundred 
pounds  every  day  for  six  months,  and  would  have  been  sure  to 
tumble  into  the  hole  after  it  had  been  taken  out,  and  wonder  he 
had  not  seen  it  before. 

As  for  faith  and  energy,  he  hadn't  as  much  as  could  ride  on  a 
thistledown ;  and  though  he  could  dream  fast  enough,  I  warrant 
you,  of  thousands  and  of  millions,  yet  when  it  came  to  the  actual, 
downright,  wide-awake  necessity,  he  was  of  no  more  account  than 
a  child  or  a  philosopher. 

It  was  in  view  of  these  various  reasons  that  I  declared  my  un- 
alterable conviction,  that  he  would  not  get  gold  enough  to  carry  on 
his  thumb-nail.  Of  course,  being  unalterable,  I  have  never  thought 
of  altering  it.  And  there  has  been  no  reason.  He  did,  indeed,  for 
some  time  after  his  return,  carry  about  with  him  a  snuff-box,  half 
full  of  an  ugly  yellow  dust  he  called  gold,  and  some  folks  were 
credulous  enough  to  believe  him  ;  but  I  was  too  old  a  bird  to  be 
caught  with  such  chaff.  It  looked  as  much  like  brass  as  it  did 
like  gold.  Besides,  nobody  knew,  nobody  could  know  where  it 
came  from,  and  like  enough  he  had  it  manufactured  for  the  occa- 
sion. Anything  was  more  probable  than  that  it  came  from  Cali- 
fornia. 

I  could  forgive  hinv-anything,  however,  even  his  good  fortune, 
easier  than  his  inconsequential,  illogical  mode  of  reasoning.  It  is 
very  evident  that  he  did  not  meet  with  that  success  he  had  ex- 
pected ;  but  instead  of  giving  the  true  reasons  for  his  disappoint- 
ment, he  seeks  to  conceal  his  weakness  by  a  variety  of  evasions 
equally  futile,  ridiculous,  and  absurd. 

In  the  first  [dace,  he  was  sick !  "When  I  was  J'oung  no  one 
over  thought  of  being  sick  except  women  and  old  men  ;  but,  I 
suppose,  now  the  case  is  different.  But  see  the  folly  of  the  thing ! 
For  why?     I've  known  him,  as  I  said,  any  time  these  twenty 


Introductory    Chapter.  13 

3-ears,  .and,  to  my  certain  knowledge,  he  was  never  sick  in  his 
life  ;  and  then,  to  go  and  be  sick  just  then,  at  the  most  critical 
and  important  crisis,  as  it  were,  when  so  much  was  at  stake,  his 
whole  future  prosperity,  as  one  may  say,  hanging  on  it,  that  is,  on 
his  being  sick  or  well — to  be  sick  at  such  a  time,  I  say,  argues  the 
most  deplorable  folly  and  shortsightedness.  Why  in  the  world 
was'nt  he  sick  during  the  voj^age,  when  he  had  nothing  else  to 
do  ?  or  why  not  wait  till  he  got  home,  when  he  cou^d  have  things 
comfortable  about  him? 

But  the  Burke  rocker !  surely  that  was  a  most  grievous  misfor- 
tune. Xot  if  he  had  known  how  to  use  it.  For  they  employ  the 
Burke  rocker  to  this  very  day  in  the  enlightened  States  of  Vir- 
ginia and  North  Carolina ;  and,  of  course,  it  is  good  enough  for 
such  a  semi-barbarous  country  as  California.  But,  for  my  part,  I 
wonder  at  his  ever  thinking  of  anything  so  plainly  unfit  for  the 
purpose. 

Then  there  is  the  loss  he  sustained  by  the  submarine  armour. 
All  I  can  say  is,  served  him  right.  I  never  saw  one  of  those  ma- 
chines myself,  and  know  nothing  at  all  about  it,  but  I  should  as 
soon  think  of  ploughing  with  a  balloon,  as  of  digging  under 
water,  or  out  of  water,  with  a  feather  bed  on  my  back,  a  bolster 
on  each  leg,  a  pillow  on  each  arm,  and  a  great  copper  kettle  on 
my  head. 

The  project,  then,  of  going  to  California  was  conceived  with 
rashness — determined  upon  with  obstinacy — and  executed  with 
folly.  He,  to  be  sure,  sets  up  in  defence  the  fact  that  the  scheme 
was  finally  successful,  as  if  that  were  enough  to  silence  all  objec- 
tions. Now,  I  am  an  old  man,  and  may  perhaps  be  growing  a 
little  crotchety  and  whimsical  in  my  old  age,  but  I  must  and 
will  protest  against  any  such  dangerous  and  heretical  doctrine. 
Success  has  here  nothing  to  do  with  the  matter ;  in  fact  he  had 
no  business  to  succeed ;  his  success  was  and  must  be  a  positive 
insult  to  all  who  are  in  the  habit  of  governing  their  conduct  by 
judgment  and  right  reason.  If  this  plea  is  to  be  received  in  vindica- 
tion, there  is  no  crime  or  blunder  that  may  not  be  excused  in  the 
same  way  ;  we  have  no  longer  any  use  for  our  boasted  reason,  and 
are  at  once  plunged  fi-om  the  firm  ground  of  induction  and  analogy 
into  the  quagmire  of  chance  and  conjecture.     He  was  always  a  sort 


14  Introductory    Cfi after. 

of  wildfire,  and  knew  no  more  about  logic  than  Will-o'-the-Wisp 
docs  of  straight  walking.  But  as  even  a  Will-o'-thc-Wisp  is  some- 
times very  useful,  in  pointing  out  to  the  benighted  traveller  the 
marshy  and  dangerous  ground  over  which  it  hovers,  so  the  reader 
may,  perhaps,  in  like  manner,  take  warning  from  the  example 
here  set  before  him  ;  and  if  so,  the  author,  like  a  piece  of  rotten 
wood, — I  cannot  stop  to  perfect  the  simile, — will  have  shed  more 
light  from  his  folly,  than  he  ever  could  have  produced  by  his 
wisdom. 


^olkii  §xmmB  imi  "^twhn  '^§ml\tm. 


CHAPTER  I. 

EARLY  in  1849,  the  unwilling'  ship  in  which  I  had  taken 
passage  for  California,  was  dragged  away  from  the  wharf 
in  the  sooty  hug  of  a  remorseless  steamtug,  like  a  struggling, 
kicking  schoolboy  in  the  arms  of  a  hated  master.  Such  an 
event  was  not  then  so  common  as  it  has  since  become,  and  an 
immense  crowd  had  assembled  to  witness  our  departure,  with 
some  such  feelings  as  if  we  had  been  bound  on  a  voyage  of 
discovery  to  the  moon,  or,  at  the  very  least,  in  search  of  the 
Xorthwest  Passage. 

It  was  a  cold  grey  day  ;  the  deck  of  the  Leucothea  was 
sloppy  with  melting  snow,  and  littered  with  chaotic  little 
piles  of  luggage,  among  wiiich  the  passengers  wandered  up 
and  down  like  a  hundred  cats  smelling  about  in  a  strange 
garret.  Some  were  still  crouched,  shiveringly,  on  the  high 
pQes  of  lumber  amid  ships,  to  which  they  had  ascended  to  take 
their  last  view  of  home  ;  others  jostled  in  the  gangways,  as 
they  revolved  in  their  uneasy  orbits  from  stem  to  stern  ;  while 
a  third  party,  without  any  ostensible  motive,  kept  running 
up  and  down  the  cabin-stairs.  Everybody  looked  cross  and 
out  of  sorts,  as  if  he  would  like  nothing  so  well  as  to  get  into 
a  quarrel  with  everybody  else. 

After  proceeding  a  few  miles  down  the  bay,  we  put  back 


1 G  G  0  L  D  E  N     D  R  E  A  M  S 

and  anchored,  for  the  night,  just  out  of  sight  of  the  city;  and 
the  deck  being  now  almost  entirely  deserted,  I  groped  my 
way  down  the  winding  stairs  and  into  the  little  cabin.  At 
first,  I  could  see  nothing  but  the  misty  light  of  a  lantern 
swinging  amidships,  faintly  illuminating  the  white-washed 
I)eams,  and  oil-cloth  covered  table  ;  but,  as  my  eyes  became 
ust'tl  to  the  darkness,  I  discovered  a  small  party  gathered 
round  the  nnsot-ial  airtight,  and  conversing  in  a  sort  of  sub- 
terranean tones,  of  their  present  dismal  condition.  Sitting 
doAvn  among  them,  I  was  not  so  much  occui)ied  with  my  own 
bitter  and  thick-coming  fancies,  as  to  take  no  note  of  their 
broken  dialogue. 

"Ah,"  said  one,  with  an  abortive  laugh,  "  Charley  feels 
bad  enough  to-night." 

"  Yes,  he  wishes  he  was  up  to  M ,  1  guess,^'  returned 

another,  whose  faltering  vivacity  plainly  declared  he  wished 
so  himself  at  any  rate. 

'•  Humph,"  retorted  Charley,  with  something  between  a 
whine  and  a  growl,  "  I  think  wc  were  all  a  set  of  darned  fools; 
if  I  was  only  safe  back,  you'd  never  catch  me  in  such  a  scrape 
again  ;  you'd  better  believe  it." 

"AVell,"said  his  companion,  "there's  a  chance  left  yet; 
you  can  go  back  in  the  pilot-boat  to-morrow." 

"  I  ain't  quite  such  a  fool  as  all  that  coin^j  *^,"  sneered 
Charley  ;  "  we're  in  for  it  now,  and  I  mean  to  put  her 
through." 

This  speech  was  followed  by  a  melancholy  laugh,  and  then 
by  a  profound  silence,  in  the  midst  of  which,  they,  one  by  one, 
dropped  off  to  bed  in  the  adjoining  staterooms  ;  leaving  me 
aU)ne  in  the  dingy  little  cal)in,  with  the  ungenial  airtight, — 
the  puffy  lantern,  with  one  big,  drunken  eye  in  its  belly, — 
and  the  greasy  table,  wliose  jiinching,  miserly  face  said,  as 
jilainly  as  words  could  speak,  tliat  if  it  had  ever  witnessed  one 
generous  feast,  it  was  so  long  ago  that  it  remembered  nothing 
about  it.     I  was  unable  to  resist  these  combined  influences, 


AND   Leaden    Realities.  17 

and  soon  slunk  away  to  my  birth,  Avitli  a  heart  heavy  as 
the  gold  I  was  pursuing. 

In  refitting  the  Leucothea  for  a  passenger  ship,  eight 
supplenaental  staterooms  had  been  built  on  deck,  covered,  as 
well  as  the  space  between,  with  what  is  called  a  poop  deck, 
extending  from  the  stern  several  feet  forward  of  the  mizenmast. 
My  birth  was  an  upper  one,  and  its  already  alarming  eleva- 
tion was  aggravated  by  a  miscellaneous  collection  of  boots, 
shovels,  and  pickaxes,  which  I  had  stored  under  the  mattrass, 
partly  to  economize  space,  and  partly  to  prepare  myself,  by 
this  sort  of  hardening  process,  for  the  privations  I  expected 
to  encounter  in  the  mines.  Owing  to  the  hurry  of  my  depart- 
ure, and  the  crowded  state  of  my  trunks,  I  had  been  obliged 
to  resort  to  a  very  ingenious  expedient  to  transport  my  super- 
fluous wardrobe.  When  one  shirt  became  soiled,  I  hid  it 
with  a  second,  and  this  process  I  repeated  till  I  had  no  less 
than  six  lying  one  above  another.  I  then  improved  upon  this 
invention  by  adding  two  vests,  a  frock,  a  sack,  a  great  coat, 
and  a  pea-jacket,  so  that  I  might  easily  have  been  mistaken 
for  one  of  those  early  Dutch  navigators  immortalized  by 
Irving,  who  thought  it  a  great  hardship  to  be  obliged  to  go 
aloft  with  only  five  coats  apiece.  Thus  fortified,  and  having 
my  feet  encased  in  a  huge  pair  of  boots,  I  climbed  with  in- 
finite difliculty  into  my  berth,  where  I  slept  about  as  securely 
as  an  elej^hant  on  the  roof  of  a  house. 

The  next  morning  we  stood  out  to  sea,  which  somewhat 
revived  our  drooping  courage  ;  as,  in  battle,  it  is  easier  to 
advance  boldly  against  the  enemy,  than  to  remain,  a  long 
time,  passively  exposed  to  his  attacks.  But  our  fortitude 
was  soon  to  be  subjected  to  a  still  severer  test.  Very  few  of 
our  number  had  ever  been  to  sea  before,  and  some  had  never 
seen  any  larger  body  of  water  than  the  pond  or  river  in 
which  they  had  fished  and  bathed  in  boyhood.  All,  however, 
had  heard  of  the  ocean,  of  its  grandeur  and  sublimity,  and, 
of  course,  had  already  made   up   their  minds   to   be  duly 


18  Golden    Dreams 

affected,  as  every  one  possessing  the  least  share  of  sensibility 
must  bo,  by  its  mighty  attributes.  Accordingly,  the  sharp 
outline  of  the  horizon  was  still  broken  on  one  side  by  the 
gradually  sinking  laud,  when  they  went  to  work  with  most 
commendable  ardour  and  perseverance  to  raise  their  imagina- 
tions to  the  proper  level. 

I  confess,  for  my  own  part,  to  an  entire  inability  to  cuter 
into  these  emotions.  I  have  no  affection  or  admiration  for 
the  ocean,  ;9cr  se.  I  love  it  in  our  winding  bays  dotted  with 
sails,  and  reflecting  the  flickering  shadows  of  green  banks  or 
populous  cities,  and  have  been,  once  or  twice  in  my  life,  aAve- 
and-wonder-struck  on  beholding  it  swelling  from  afar  against 
the  rock-bound  coasts  of  New  England.  Here  its  beauty  is 
multiplied  by  contrast,  and  its  power  thoroughly  aroused  by 
opposition. 

It  is  pleasant  to  lie  on  some  lofty  promontory  and  gaze 
away  off  into  the  illimitable  blue,  and  dream  that  so  it  goes 
on  forever,  without  any  opposing  shore.  I  am  even  willing 
to  make  short  excursions  with  it,  to  meet  it  half  way,  as  it 
were,  on  this  neutral  ground  ;  but  I  care  not  to  go  home 
with  it,  or  to  venture  into  its  own  undisputed  domain.  As 
Shylock  says  to  Bassanio,  "  I  will  buy  with  you,  sell  with  you, 
talk  with  you,  walk  with  you,  and  so  following, — but  I  will 
not  eat  with  you,  drink  with  you,  nor  pray  with  you" — there 
is  such  a  thing  as  too  great  intimacy.  The  sea  itself  suffers 
by  this  undecent  familiarity.  Instead  of  that  mysterious  and 
salutary  dread  we  formerly  entertained  towards  it,  we  come  to 
regard  it,  in  a  manner,  as  our  bond-servant,  or  beast  of 
burden.  Its  sublimity  is  gone — its  vastness  becomes  weari- 
some monotony — its  royal  pomp  and  power  sink  into  peevish 
ill-humour  or  sullen  Ijravado.  It  is  not  so  very  big  either. 
A  circular  disc  of  salt  water,  thirty  or  forty  miles  across,  is 
all  you  can  see.  If  its  waves  were  indeed  mountains — if  one 
sailed  among  Alps,  in  valleys  lighted  only  l)y  the  mid-day  sun, 
or  along  the  face  of  a  precipice,  towering  as  high  towards 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  19 

heaven  as  it  sunk  sheer  down  to  the  abyss — then,  indeed,  the 
naked,  melancholy  ocean  would  not  need  to  borrow  any  ele- 
ment of  sublimity  from  the  continent  earth. 

This  wa?  the  nature  of  the  reflections  produced  by  the 
first  view  of  the  rounded  ocean  ;  if  I  should  hereafter  take 
just  the  opposite  side  of  the  question,  I  hope  not  to  be 
charged  with  inconsistency  ; — in  a  long  voyage  one's  opinions 
change  almost  as  often  as  the  winds.  The  revolution,  how- 
ever, is  seldom  as  sudden  or  as  ludicrous  as  in  the  case  of  our 
unlucky  enthusiasts.  While  they  were  even  yet  expatiating 
on  the  grandeur  and  sublimity  of  the  scene,  they  became  aware 
of  certain  uneasy  and  mysterious  sensations,  the  precise 
locality  of  which  it  was  hard  to  determine,  but  which  seemed 
to  have  their  capital  seat  somewhere  in  the  region  of  the 
diaphragm.  Strange  horrors  seized  them,  and  pangs  unfelt 
before.  But  it  is  the  nature  of  this  malady  to  dispose  its 
victims  to  conceal  their  weakness  as  long  as  possible.  They 
shrink  from  the  mortifying  disclosure,  and  obstinately  persist, 
to  the  last  moment,  in  declaring  they  never  felt  so  well  in 
their  lives. 

The  little  party  of  Yermonters,  the  same  that  had  col- 
lected in  the  cabin  the  preceding  evening,  were  among  the 
first  to  feel  the  advances  of  the  insidious  foe. 

"  I  say,  boys,"  cried  Charley,  "  isn't  this — ugh — worth 
going  to  California  for  ?" 

"  Grand  !"  "  splendid  1"  "  magnificent !"  echoed  the  three 
boldest  of  the  party,  with  sundry  unaccountable  grimaces, 
while  the  rest  thought  it  more  prudent  at  that  moment,  to 
keep  their  mouths  shut  as  tight  as  possible. 

"  I  hope,  a — ugh — you  ain't  a  going  to  be — a — ugh — sick," 
returned  Charley,  glancing  doubtfully  at  the  pale  faces  of  his 
followers,  as  if  to  satisfy  himself  how  many  he  could  rely  upon 
in  the"" approaching  struggle.  "  I — a-a — ugh — don't  feel  sick 
in  the  least,"  and  away  he  hurried  to  lee-ward,  where,  for  the 


20  G  O  L  D  E  N     D  U  E  A  M  S 

uext  hour,  tlic  whole  party  might  be  seen,  hanging  like  so 
many  dish-clouts,  over  the  bulwarks. 

"AYhat  do  yer  see — a  whale  ?"  drily  inquires  an  old  salt, 
with  a  cold-blooded  cruelty, of  which  no  one  with  the  heart  even 
of  the  most  magnanimous  mouse,  would  be  guilty.  But  they  are 
too  sick  to  l)e  angry — contempt,  that  pierces  the  shell  of  the  tor- 
toise, touches  them  not, — there  is  a  dignity,  springing  from  the 
very  depths  of  then:  abasement,  that  sets  them  above  the  reach 
of  injury  or  insult — their  ridiculous,  indeed,  reaches  to  the  sub- 
lime. Solomon  and  Dr.  Johnson  are  commonly  considered  the 
highest  authority  on  the  vanity  of  life — but  was  there  ever  a 
sufferer  from  sea-sickness  who  did  not  moralize,  by  the  hour 
together,  in  a  far  more  affecting  strain  ?  Every  sigh  is  a 
book  of  Ecclesiastes,  and  is  there  any  other  philosophy  like 
his  ?  so  sudden  and  effectual  in  its  operations  ?  that  dives 
down  so  deep  to  the  very  root  of  pride  and  self-laudation  ? 

For  three  days  and  nights  I  lay  in  my  birth,  dressed  as  I 
have  said,  parched  by  thirst,  and  tantalized  by  waking 
dreams  of  every  cooling  and  delicious  draught.  Meanwhile, 
the  Leucothca  had  reached  the  Gulf-stream,  and  in  that 
region  of  storms,  encountered  one  of  the  most  terrific.  Huge 
waves  came  foaming  in  over  the  bows,  sending  their  crests 
even  to  my  door,  and  pouring  down  the  forchatch  into  the 
steerage,  drowned  out  the  frightened  passengers  in  the  very 
dead  of  night.  The  alarm  was  so  sudden  that  some  had 
time  only  to  snatch  their  clothes  ;  and,  with  them  in  their 
hands,  they  came  running  aft  as  to  a  place  of  comparative 
safety.  When  rei)roached  for  their  pusillanimity,  they  offered 
the  paltry  excuse,  tliat  the  water  came  down  the  hatch  as  big 
as  a  hogshead,  and  that  it  was  already  deep  enough  in  the 
steerage  for  a  man  to  swim  in.  This  might  have  touched  my 
healthy  sympathies,  but  it  now  gave  me  no  concern.  I 
believe  I  may  say  without  vanity,  that  at  that  moment  I  felt 
perfectly  reconciled  to  the  idea,  thus  suggested,  of  thirty  or 
forty  of  our  fellow-passengers  being  drowned  like  so  many 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  21 

rats  ;  tliough,  for  my  owii  part,  so  great  was  my  thirst,  I 
doubted  whether  there  was  water  enough  in  the  ocean  to 
drown  me.  Through  the  open  door  of  my  state-room  I  could 
see  the  white  tops  of  the  waves,  as  the  ship  leaned  over  to 
embrace  them  ;  and  I  thought  it  no  great  thing  to  make  my 
throat  a  passage  for  the  whole  Atlantic. 

But  I  had  still  no  relentings  of  purpose  ;  through  storm, 
and  thirst,  and  burning  fever,  I  was  sustained  by  dreams  of 
golden  joy.  At  the  period  of  our  departure,  what  is  com- 
monly called  the  sober  and  prudent  part  of  the  community, 
regarded  California  as  a  mischievous  humbug.  None  of  my 
friends  favoured  my  going  ;  and  one,  still  more  sober  and 
prudent  than  the  rest,  had  emphatically  declared  his  convic- 
tion, adding  considerately  that  he  did  not  wish  to  discourage 
me,  that  I  should  not  find  gold  enough  to  lay  on  my  thumb- 
nail. Few,  however,  who  had  set  their  hearts  on  going,  were 
ever  dissuaded,  I  apprehend,  by  such  arguments  ;  even  the 
last  pleasant  and  ingenious  comparison  failed  to  convince  me  : 
having  once  made  up  my  mind,  I  fixed  my  eyes  on  the  mark 
and  overlooked  all  intervening  objects.  Yet  my  calculations, 
so  I  thought,  were  by  no  means  extravagant  ;  the  simple 
brevity  of  argument  with  which  I  silenced  all  opposition  was 
$2,000  certain— $20,000  probable— $100,000  possible.  I 
now  saw  these  numbers  jDrinted  in  glaring  ciphers,  with  all 
the  lifelike,  seductive  reality  of  a  lottery  placard,  all  over  the 
walls  of  my  stateroom.  Who  would  not,  for  such  reward, 
endure  the  discomforts  of  a  four  months'  voyage,  even  though 
every  week  should  be  like  the  first  ? 

The  idea  of  a  life  in  the  mines  was  rather  agreeable.  It 
had  about  it  a  smack  of  Robinson  Crusoe  ;  and  then,  it 
would  be  so  exciting  to  bring  our  gains  home  at  night,  and, 
every  two  or  three  days,  to  light  upon  a  whole  nestful  of 
ingots — hunting  birds'  nests  would  be  nothing  to  it.  If  the 
first  discoverers,  I  said  to  myself  again  and  again,  have  met 
with  such  astonishing  success,  with  their  pans  and  wash-bowls, 


23  GoldenDreams 

what  may  I  not  expect,  with  my  improved  machines,  and  the 
experience  I  have  gained  by  reading  of  their  adventures  ?  As 
I  said  this,  I  glanced,  with  a  look  of  comphicency,  upon  the 
ingenious  fabric  of  our  invention  which  was  stowed  piecemeal 
just  above  my  head,  and  was  destined,  in  spite  of  its  humble 
pretensions,  to  work  out  such  astounding  results. 

It  consisted  simply  of  a  roll  of  wire-webbing,  with  meshes 
about  one-sixth  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  and  several  rough 
boards  six  or  seven  feet  long,  with  which  we  proposed  to  con- 
struct three  huge  sieves,  one  for  each  of  our  company.  If 
these  implements  failed  of  their  intended  purpose,  or  indeed 
were  never  constructed,  it  was  not  owing  to  any  fault  in  them, 
but  entirely  to  the  unexpected,  and,  if  I  may  be  allowed  to 
coin  a  word,  unexpcctable  nature  of  that  perverse  country 
whither  we  were  going.  I  saw,  in  my  mind's  eye,  an  immense 
sandy  i)lain,  intersected  by  rivers,  and  sentinelled  about  by 
lofty  mountains.  The  auriferous  sands  were  to  be  sifted 
througli  our  wire-webbing,  while  the  bit  of  gold  would  be 
caught  in  the  meshes.  When  some  meddling  adviser  sug- 
gested that  these  were  too  large,  and  that  we  should  thus 
lose  the  finer  particles,  I,  magnanimously,  and  rather  disdain- 
fully, replied,  that  I  intended  to  leave  something  for  those 
who  should  come  after  me,  and  that,  for  my  part,  I  cared  for 
nothing  smaller  than  peas. 

Thus,  three  days  and  nights  I  lay  ;  while  day  dreams,  as 
bright  as  those  of  Alnaschar,  and  oh,  too  like  in  sad  event ! 
alternated  in  my  sea-sick  brain  with  visions  of  a  darkened 
chamber — of  a  spacious  bed  covered  with  soft  white  sheets — 
of  women's  voices  soft  and  low — of  cool  sherbet  and  fragrant 
lemonade — and  all  the  "monarchal  prerogatives"  attendant 
on  a  sick  man's  state  at  home.  Here  there  was  nothing  but 
the  casual  attendance  of  the  cabin-boy  bringing  me  an  occa- 
sional cup  of  gruel,  and  the  querulous  sympathy  of  others  as 
helpless  as  myself.  In  a  week,  however,  most  were  sufficiently 
recovered  to  take  their  meals  in  the  cabin,  though  in  a  few 


AND   Leaden    Realities.  23 

instances,  the  sickness  was  much  more  prolonged.  A  German 
from  Hamburg  was  the  greatest  sufferer,  the  experience  he 
had  gained  in  once  crossing  the  Atlantic  seeming  not  to  assist 
him  on  the  present  occasion.  For  weeks  after  the  rest  of  us 
had  almost  forgotten  our  trials,  he  still  lay  hoauing  and  moan- 
ing to  himself  in  his  berth. 

"  Well,  John,"  asked  one,  with  as  much  sympathy  as  could 
be  expected  to  remain  in  his  oblivious  stomach,  "how  do  yoa 
feel  this  morning  ?" 

"  Oh!"  he  replied,  with  a  dolorous  shake  of  the  head,  "  if 
I  live  two  week,  I  shall  die  !" 

The  ladies  on  board  were  almost  equally  unfortunate — and 
here  I  beg  their  pardon  and  that  of  the  reader  for  not  having 
sooner  introduced  them  to  each  other.  It  was  not  every  ship 
in  those  days  that  was  blessed  with  female  society ;  and  the 
owners  of  the  Leucothea  had  taken  care  to  make  the  most  of 
this  important  distinction.  In  setting  forth  the  advantages 
of  the  "good  ship  Leucothea,  of  superior  accommodations,"  this 
had  been  the  brightest  star  in  the  glorified  galaxy  that  was 
to  dazzle  the  eyes  of  the  genteel  adventurer.  The  library, 
the  piano,  and  the  ladies, — learning,  song  and  beauty  were  to 
shed  their  benign  and  humanizing  influence  over  our  rude  and 
savage  natures,  and  prevent  us  from  sinking  back  into  worse 
than  heathen  darkness  and  barbarism.  It  must  be  confessed 
that  the  piano  was  sadly  out  of  tune,  and  that  the  library 
consisted  mainly  of  such  books  as  everybody  had  read,  or  else 
nobody  ever  does  read  ;  and,  furthermore,  the  proportion  of 
ladies  was  small,  only  three  or  four  to  a  nundred ;  but  then 
it  is  well  known  that  a  drop  of  certain  substances  can  be 
detected  in  a  whole  hogshead  of  water,  and  I  have  no  doubt 
that  the  sight  of  a  bonnet  or  lady's  slipper  hung  in  some 
conspicuous  position  about  the  ship,  nailed  to  the  mainmast, 
for  example,  would  exert  a  most  salutary  influence  ;  in  the 
same  way  as  a  horseshoe  nailed  to  a  barndoor  is  a  most  ef- 
fectual scarecrow  to  all  predatory  ghosts  and  witches. 


24  GoldenDreams 

Be  that  as  it  may,  the  presence  of  the  ladies,  considered 
simply  as  as  an  al)stract  idea,  was  highly  edifying  and  satis- 
factory to  all  on  board  ;  and  it  was  no  fault  of  theirs,  if  we 
failed  to  derive  from  their  society  all  the  benefits  we  had 
expected. 

Mr.  Tape,  our  supercargo,  was  a  man  of  infinite  good 
nature  ;  he  smiled  easily,  and  made  promises  with  equal 
facility.  "  Do  you  think  we  had  better  lay  in  any  private 
stores,  Mr.  Tape  ?"  we  inquired,  after  settling  more  important 
matters  with  that  smiling  functionary. 

"  Oh,  no  sir,  no  sir;  there's  no  need  of  anything  of  the  sort. 
You'll  find  everything  you  want  aboard  the  ship." 

"  But,"  we  persisted,  "  we  might  take  a  few  preserves  or 
crackers,  or " 

"  Xo  ;  save  your  money.  You'll  want  it  more  when  you 
get  to  San  Francisco.  You'll  eat  at  the  same  table  with  Mrs. 
Tape  and  the  other  ladies,  and  I  suppose  you  don't  want  to 
live  any  better  than  they  do." 

"  Oh  dear  1  no,  sir  !  not  we  !  no  indeed  1" 

"  Well,  then,  it's  all  right,"  and  away  bustled  little  Mr 
Tape  to  go  through  the  same  form  with  another  applicant. 

A  few  weeks  sufficed  to  dispel  the  pleasing  illusions  which 
these  assurances  had  produced.  As  the  cabin  was  too  small 
to  accommodate  us  all,  we  divided  into  two  messes  ;  or,  as 
we  styled  them  in  our  amateur  nautical  phraseology,  the 
starboard  and  larboard  watches.  But  when  all  had  recovered 
from  seasickness,  even  this  expedient  was  found  insufficient, 
and  here  arose  a  plausible  pretext  for  a  third  division.  The 
captain,  the  supercargo,  and  the  doctor  retired  with  their 
wives  into  the  after-cal)in,  already  dignified  by  the  presence 
of  the  liljrary  and  piano  ;  and  thus,  at  one  "  unexpected  blow, 
worse  than  of  death,"  annihilated  all  our  hopes  of  that  feminine 
grace  and  propriety  that  was  to  preside  over  our  meals,  con- 
verting the  salt  junk  into  delicatest  beef,  the  muddy  coffee 
into  nectar,  and  the  ship-biscuit  into  amijrosian  catcs. 


AND    Leaden   Realities.  25 

To  be  sure,  we  were  still  allowed  to  behold  thera  at  long 
intervals,  sitting  on  deck  in  chairs  lashed  to  the  mizenmast, 
or  to  hear  their  dulcet  voices,  rising  like  a  steam  of  rich  dis- 
tilled perfumes,  through  the  skylight  of  the  after-cabin  ;  but 
our  former  state  and  dignity  were  departed  forever.  We  no 
longer  basked  in  the  sunshine  of  royal  favour,  but  resembled 
rather  a  capital  city  from  which  the  seat  of  empire  has  been 
removed,  and  which  is  left  to  languish  in  obscurity  and 
neglect.  The  steerage  passengers  regarded  us  with  commis- 
eration, or  made  odious  comparisons  in  our  hearing.  The 
delicacies  in  which  we  should  have  shared,  were  borne  past 
our  door  into  the  after-cabin,  and  their  place  supplied  with 
lobscouse  and  dunderfunk — the  first,  a  detestable  hash  or 
ragout  of  everything  edible  in  the  ship — the  second,  a  john- 
nycake  constructed  on  the  same  principle,  except  that  the 
beef  and  pork  were  commonly  excluded.  I  always  looked 
with  suspicion  upon  the  man  who  professed  a  fondness  for 
lobscouse  ;  and  if,  in  our  expressive  phrase,  he  was  able  "  to 
go  "  dunderfunk,  I  avoided  him  as  if  he  had  the  leprosy.  It 
was  impossible  to  reconcile  such  tastes  with  the  least  twinkle 
of  high  or  generous  feeling  ;  one  might  as  well  associate  with 
a  cannibal  or  a  ghoule. 

In  order  to  add  the  pleasures  of  anticipation  to  those  of 
actual  fruition,  or  to  cheat  our  imaginations  with  the  semblance 
of  more  terrene  banquets,  a  bill  of  fare  was  duly  provided, 
calculated,  apparently,  with  the  far-reaching  accuracy  of  an 
almanac,  for  the  whole  duration  of  our  voyage,  and  for  any 
meridian.  Here,  each  dish  had  its  own  peculiar  day,  to  which 
it  returned,  from  its  hcbdomedal  revolution,-  with  all  the 
punctuality  of  Encke's  comet.  Two  days — I  remember  them 
well — Monday  and  Thursday,  were  allotted  to  baked  beans — 
three  to  salt  beef,  pork,  and  potatoes — one  each  to  salt  nsh 
and  ham.  The  names  of  Tuesday  and  Wednesday  were  lost 
in  the  more  alluring  and  alliterative  appellation  of  Dough- 
days  ;  the  first  syllable  being  made,  by  a  double  analogy,  to 
2 


26  GoldenDreams 

rhyme  with  tougli.  Some  do  evea  spell  it  Duff,  but  this  is  a 
manifest  cacography,  and  of  the  most  pernicious  description, 
since  it  loses  sight  of  the  etymology  of  the  word,  which  would 
otherwise  at  once  explain  its  meaning  to  the  most  cursory 
reader. 

For  breakfast  and  supper,  there  were  tea  and  coffee,  most 
"pitiful  hearted  butter,"  pilot  bread,  lobscouse,  and  dunder- 
fiaik.  Two  or  three  times  a  week  we  had  hot  bread  ;  once  a 
week  we  had  gingerbread;  and,  on  one  occasion,  a  nondescript 
article  about  which  there  was  a  good  deal  of  curious  specula- 
tion, till  at  length  one,  more  ingenious  than  the  rest,  suggested 
that  it  was  intended  for  an  apple-pie.  This  solution  was 
hailed  with  shouts  of  a])plause,  and  it  was  at  once  voted  to 
present  the  article,  with  the  thanks  of  the  company,  to  the 
lucky  discoverer,  who  happened  to  be  the  identical  Charley 
so  often  mentioned  ;  who  being  naturally  of  a  j^hilosophic 
and  inquisitive  temper,  wished  to  add  this  imique  specimen 
of  naval  architecture  to  a  list  of  curiosities  he  was  then 
engaged  in  collecting  ;  and  which  already  consisted  of  a 
shark's  left  eye  "kep  in  spirits  in  a  bottle,"  and  a  set  of  very 
ingenious  checkers  made  out  of  his  back  bone. 

The  third  week  of  our  voyage  a  terrible  feud  arose  among 
the  passengers,  something  like  that  recorded  by  Gulliver  as 
having  existed  between  the  Lilliputians  and  Blefuscians  as  to 
the  proper  method  of  eating  eggs.  The  cause  of  quarrel  in 
our  case,  however,  was  even  more  mighty  and  important,  since 
it  involved  the  nicest  casuistry,  and  furnished  the  most  unfail- 
ing test  of  character.  The  question  at  issue  concerned  the 
lobscouse,  and  the  warcries  of  the  contending  parties  were 
"onions"  and  "  no  onions."  The  two  factions  were  almost 
equally  divided  ;  and,  though  the  onionists  had  the  captain 
on  their  side  as  well  as  most  of  the  old  fogies,  the  revolution- 
ists, or  liberals,  as  they  styled  themselves,  by  help  of  the 
doctor  and  supercargo,  still  upheld  the  war.  As  this  dissen- 
sion finally  threatened  the  most  serious  consequences,  a  com- 


AND    Leaden    Realities,  27 

promise  was  effected,  and  it  was  agreed  to  settle  the  difficulty 
by  a  division  ;  when  the  parties  being  drawn  up  on  either 
side  of  a  seam  in  the  deck,  the  disonionists  were  found  to 
have  a  majority  of  one,  and  thus  the  matter  was  brought  to 
a  peaceful  termination.  . 


28  GoldenDreams 


CHAPTER   I  I. 

IN  a  few  weeks  we  had  run  through  every  variety  of  climate, 
and  at  the  end  of  February,  while  our  friends  at  home 
were  still  shivering  in  great-coats  and  cloaks,  or  rubbing  their 
hands  over  coal  fires,  we  were  basking  beneath  the  sky  of 
June.  I  had  thrown  off,  one  by  one,  my  outer  garments, 
within  which  I  had  shrunk  (the  effects  of  long  sickness  and 
starvation)  like  a  silkworm  in  its  cocoon  ;  and  now,  like  the 
same  insect,  I  came  out  light  and  airy,  in  a  summer  suit  of 
bright  calico  and  nankeen. 

There  is  something  very  pleasant  in  thus  anticipating 
summer,  in  forestalling  the  all  too-punctual  sun  returning 
leisurely  from  the  south,  and  in  barbdring  a  certain  quantity 
of  snow  and  ice  for  the  unadulterated  sunshine  of  the  tropics. 
Yet  I  could  not  help  thinking  that  we  were  intruders,  inter- 
lopers, in  thus  presuming  to  thrust  ourselves  where  we  had 
no  right,  and  to  snatch  her  bounty  from  the  liberal  hand  of 
nature,  instead  of  waiting  patiently,  like  good  children,  till  it 
was  our  turn  to  be  served.  The  baffling  winds  that  opposed 
our  progress  into  those  golden  gardens  of  the  Hesperides, 
seemed  to  favour  this  idea, — for  many  days  we  were  unable 
to  head  our  course,  and  were  compelled  to  sail  in  an  easterly 
direction,  and  even  north  of  east.  It  was  little  consolation 
to  a  landsman,  naturally  credulous  as  he  is  in  all  matters 
pertaining  to  "  sea-ography,"  to  be  told  that  we  were  thus 
making  the  necessary  Easting,  and  that  at  sea  it  is  especially 
true  that  the  longest  way  round  is  the  nearest  way  home  ; 


AND   Leaden   Eealities.  29 

noi*  could  I  bring  myself  to  believe,  wlien  the  ship's  head  was 
turned  towards  Europe,  that  we  were  actually  taking  the 
shortest  cut  to  Cape  Horn.  Under  the  most  favourable 
conditions,  the  Leucothea  was  a  dull  sailor,  a  broken  down, 
superannuated  cart-horse,  jogging  along  "  the  right  butter- 
woman's  rank  to  market,"  which,  in  this  case,  was  so  distant, 
!.hat  we  sometimes  doubted  whether  we  should  ever  get  there 
at  all. 

This  was  rendered  more  tolerable,  however,  by  the  de- 
licious breeze,  that  flowing  from  the  coast  of  Africa,  was 
tempered  by  the  wide  extent  of  water  that  lay  between. 

"  With  such  delay 
"Well  pleased  they  slack  tlicir  course,  and  many  a  league 
Cheer'd  with  the  grateful  smell  old  ocean  smiles.*' 

Tiie  last  expression  is  peculiarly  significant.  Here  was 
indeed  the  manj^-millioned  smile  of  ocean.  It  seemed  im- 
possible that  this  amiable  monster  should  be  the  same  we 
had  so  lately  seen  swelling  with  rage,  and  threatening  our 
instant  destruction.  But  the  naked  ocean,  even  when  in 
good  humour,  is  after  all  a  tiresome  companion.  I  had 
formed  my  ideas  of  a  sea-voyage  almost  entirely  from 
Irving's  description  of  his  voyage  to  Europe.  I  remembered 
reading,  in  my  youuger  days,  of  the  many  hours  of  delight- 
ful revery  m  which  he  had  indulged,  and  of  the  amusements 
he  derived  from  watching  the  unwieldly  monsters  of  the  deep 
in  their  uncouth  gambols.  It  seemed  to  my  boyish  fancy  as 
if  the  shark,  the  whale,  the  porpoise  and  the  dolphin,  and 
perhaps,  even  the  veritable  sea-serpent  himself,  had  come  at 
iiis  bidding,  as  the  beasts  came  to  Adam  in  Paradise.  But 
either  these  noble  personages  are  less  accommodating  since 
his  time,  or  are  unwilling  to  pay  their  respects  to  any  less 
distinguished  visitors.  Their  privacy  has  been  so  often 
invaded  by  troops  of  cockney  tourists,  that  it  has  now 
become  almost  impossible  to  olitain  an  iatroduction. 


30  Golden  Dreams 

But  if  these  dwellers  beneath  the  surface,  these  aborigines 
of  the  ocean,  indigenous,  if  we  may  so  say,  to  the  soil, 
failed  to  gratify  our  curiosity,  or  to  answer  our  extravagant 
expectations,  this  was  far  from  being  the  case  with  the  com- 
parativtly  alien  but  dominant  race  of  man's  introduction.  A 
ship  at  sea  is  as  different  from  the  same  ship  lying  at  a  wharf, 
as  the  lion  of  the  desert  from  the  cringing  brute  of  a  mena- 
gerie ;  I  no  longer  wondered  that  such  should  seem  to  the 
ignorant  savage,  beholding  them  for  the  first  time,  living 
and  intelligent  creatures,  tamed  and  subjected  to  the  service 
of  a  superior  race  of  beings,  nor  did  the  ancient  fable  of 
their  transformation  into  sea-nymphs  seem  altogether  in- 
credible. 

We  spoke  several  ships  at  this  time,  bound  in  different 
directions.  Such  an  event  never  failed  to  produce  the  most 
intense  exeitcmeut,  and  a  feverish  anxiety  to  know  the  name 
of  the  vessel,  where  she  was  from,  and  whither  she  was 
bound.  To  compare  great  things  with  small,  it  was  as  if 
two  worlds  should  cross  each  other's  path  in  the  heavens, 
and  should  "heave  to"  a  moment  in  their  breathless  career 
to  hold  brief  converse  on  their  state  and  destiny.  It  would 
be  an  interesting  question  what  matters  should  be  introduced 
at  so  august  a  meeting  ;  though  it  were  much  to  be  feared, 
tJiat  in  their  anxiety  to  touch  upon  none  but  the  most  import- 
ant, the  precious,  irrecoverable  moment  would  be  altogether 
lost. 

In  the  present  instance,  however,  the  question  and  answer 
are  Ijoth  ready  Ijeforehand  ;  and  even  the  order  of  precedence 
is  determined  by  some  freemasonary  of  the  high  seas,  the 
mystery  of  which  I  did  not  unravel.  A  few  moments  are 
commonly  sufficient  for  the  purpose  ;  the  captain,  who  has 
the  first  words,  pours  through  his  trumpet  a  hoarse  bellow 
that  would  be  quite  unintelligililc  if  its  purport  were  not 
already  known, — the  other  courteously  replies, — the  flags 
are  run  up  and  down,  to  take  the  i:)lace  of  that  head  and 


AND   Leaden   Realities.  81 

hand  shaking  that  attends  the  meeting  of  two  magnates  on 
land,  and  away  go  the  obedient  vessels,  to  meet,  perhajis,  no 
more  during  their  whole  career. 

When  three  weeks  out,  we  spoke  an  English  ship  from 
Madras,  which  thus  became  exalted,  in  our  unaginations,  to 
a  place  of  vast  importance.  She  sent  her  boat  to  ol^tuin 
a  supply  of  fuel ;  and  we  regarded  the  crew  with  almost  as 
much  intei'est  as  if  they  had  belonged  to  a  different  planet. 
Charley  Bainbridge,  who  was  always  on  the  look-out  for  such 
opportunities,  slid  down  into  the  boat,  and  presently  returned 
with  some  article  he  had  found  in  her  bottom,  mysteriously 
guarded  in  his  breeches  pocket.  On  being  pressed  to  exhibit 
his  treasure,  he  steadily  refused  till  after  the  boat  had  gone  ; 
when  he  drew  forth  a  pebble,  which  he  said  came  from 
Madras,  and  being  obtained  in  that  odd  way,  would  make 
a  very  handsome  addition  to  his  cabinet, 

A  yet  more  lively  interest  was  awakened  by  our  meeting, 
soon  after,  a  ship  bound  from  Calcutta  to  Boston.  She  had 
been  in  sight  all  the  afternoon,  and,  in  compliance  with  our 
invitation  to  speak,  altered  her  course  sufficiently  to  come  up 
with  us  just  after  dusk.  A  lantern  was  suspended  at  our 
poop,  and  guided  by  its  light,  which  seemed  quite  absorbed 
by  the  immense  darkness,  she  came  cautiously  feeling  her  way 
along,  till,  suddenly  shooting  into  our  little  illuminated  hori- 
zon, she  hove  to  and  waited  to  know  our  pleasure.  All  the 
while  our  ship  was  silent  as  the  grave,  but  more  than  a 
hundred  pair  of  eyes  were  peeping  through  the  blanket  of 
the  night,  as  if,  though  the  frailest  and  softest  things,  they 
would  really  tear  it  into  shreds.  We  had  no  sooner,  how- 
ever, learned  the  destination  of  the  stranger  than  our  decks 
swarmed  with  sudden  life.  As  a  delay  of  even  a  few  minutes 
is  regarded  as  a  serious  inconvenience,  especially  by  your  fast- 
sailing  Indiaman,  there  was  little  time  to  prepare  our  letters, 
but  most  on  board,  in  expectation  of  such  an  opportunity, 
had   everything   in   readiness  ;    and   the    boat  was   hardly 


32  G  O  L  D  E  y     D  R  E  A  M  s 

lowered  before  the  mail-bag  was  thrown  into  it.  When  our 
visitor  had  filled  her  sails,  and  her  tall  shadow  had  merged 
in  the  surrounding  blackness,  a  feeling  of  loneliness  settled 
down  upoa  us,  that  we  had  not  known  since  leaving  home. 
In  a  i^ew  weeks  she  would  be  in  Boston  ;  while,  at  the  same 
tiiiif,  we  should  be  off  the  stormy  Cape.  It  seemed  like 
soveriiig  the  last  ti-e  that  bound  us  to  home  ;  as  if  we  had 
now  really  begun  to  slide  down  the  backside  of  the  world, 
without  any  possibility  of  ever  climbing  up  again. 

We  had  now  become  somewhat  accustomed  to  the  dull 
routine  of  a  long  voyage.  Sunrise,  commonly  fiat  and  insip- 
id, even  on  land,  had  here  the  superadded  monotony  of  life  at 
sea.  The  sun  came  bouncing  out  of  bed,  without  a  rag  of  a 
cloud  about  him,  as  if  in  a  great  hurry  to  find  out  whether  we 
were  just  where  he  left  us  the  night  before.  Soon  after  we 
began,  one  by  one,  to  drop  down  from  our  berths  ;  and  hav- 
ing drawn  on  our  pantaloons,  we  shuffled  along,  towel  and 
washbowl  in  hand,  to  the  waist  of  the  ship,  where  we  were 
used  to  perform  our  ablutions,  A  fireman's  bucket  attached 
to  a  stout  rope  had  been  considerately  provided  for  the  use  of 
one  hundred  passengers  ;  or,  to  speak  more  accurately,  for 
the  use  of  the  cooks,  the  passengers  having  the  benefit  of  it 
only  l>y  sufTerance  of  those  sooty  dignities. 

In  warm  weather,  and  quiet  seas,  drawing  water  was  no 
great  hardship  ;  but  when  the  seas  and  the  latitudes  both  ran 
high,  and  the  sliip  was  rolling  and  pitching  at  such  a  rate  that 
it  was  iio  easy  matter  to  stand  upright, — I  could  not  help 
tliinkiug  that  the  old  nm'sery  ballad 

What !  cry  to  be  washed? 
Not  love  to  bo  clean  ? 

was  liot  after  all  quite  so  orthodox  in  its  irony  as  I  had  sup- 
posed. 

Leaning  over  the  bulwarks,  with  feet  well  braced  against 
the  slippery  deck,  his  hair  in  his  eyes,  and  the  crook  of  his 


AND    Leaden   Realities.  33 

elbow  nervously  hooking  the  rigging,  the  unlucky  ablutor 
picks  up  the  "  superior  accommodation,"  and  throws  it  over 
the  gunwale  into  the  sea.  This  is  a  simple  and  facile  opera- 
tion ;  there  is  no  need  of  plumping  the  bucket  up  and  down 
in  order  to  fill  it,  the  swift  current  has  already  done  that  for 
you,  and  has  at  once  drawn  out  the  whole  length  of  the  rope, 
while  the  bucket,  with  open  mouth,  seems  ready  to  burst,  like 
the  frog  in  the  fable,  in  the  vain  attempt  to  swallow  the 
whole  ocean.  But  to  regain  possession,  or  as  Dan  Carpenter, 
one  of  our  Vermonters,  had  it,  "  revocare  bucketum,  hoc  la- 
bor, hoc  opus  est." 

This  important  duty  being  at  length  accomplished,  we  pro- 
ceeded, in  fine  weather,  to  promenade  the  deck  till  breakfast. 
The  forenoon  was  occupied  in  a  great  variety  of  ways.  Some 
disinterested  and  inquiring  individuals  kept  a  constant  look- 
out for  sails,  sharks,  and  whales,  in  order  to  gratify  the  uni- 
versal craving  for  novelty  and  excitement.  These  were  the 
newsmongers  and  express  agents  of  our  little  community.  A 
shark  could  not  show  his  dorsal  fin  within  a  cable's  length  of 
the  ship, — a  whale  could  not  wag  his  tail  or  blow  his  nose 
within  five  miles, — and  a  sail  could  not  steal  into  the  wide 
horizon  of  the  masthead,  without  being  at  once  detected  by 
half  a  dozen  curious  eyes,  and  straightway  reported  to  all  be- 
low. Various  groups  on  deck  were  occupied  in  reading,  talk- 
ing, and  smoking,  or  in  games  of  chance  or  skill.  A  few 
bolder  spirits  had  even  tlie  hardihood  to  attempt  "  Spanish 
without  a  Master,"  but  they  got  no  farther  than  the  story  of 
the  three  travellers,  and  the  ominous  moral,  "  Desgraciado  el 
que  aspira  a  riquezas," — miserable  is  he  who  aspires  after 
riches. 

2* 


34  Golden    Dreams 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  party  to  which  I  belonged  consisted  originally  of  but 
three  members.  Captain  Bill  was  a  short,  broad-faced, 
blue-eyed  Saxon,  who  no  sooner  felt  his  sea-legs,  as  the  sailors 
said,  well  under  him,  than  he  began  to  discover  an  aptitude 
for  naval  tactics  that  might  almost  be  called  genius.  Instead 
of  spending  his  time  in  those  light  and  trifling  pursuits  that 
engrossed  the  attention  of  those  about  him,  he  applied  him- 
self with  unwearied  assiduity  to  the  acquisition  of  that  knowl- 
edge that  is  usually  so  distasteful  to  a  landsman  ;  and  had 
constantly  in  his  mouth  some  such  horrid  and  uncouth  phrases 
as,  "  How's  she  head  ?"  "  Keep  her  off  half  a  point,"  "  Haul 
in  your  jib-sheets,"  and  others  equally  portentous.  Heat 
length  acquired  such  a  facility  in  this  sort  of  exercise  that  he 
came  to  be  regarded  as  a  very  high  authority  in  such  matters, 
and  hence  received  from  his  companions  the  honorary  title  of 
Captain,  which  his  subsequent  fortune  strangely  confirmed. 
One  of  the  sailors  whom  I  met  by  chance  in  the  maintop,  as- 
sured me  that  he.  Captain  Bill,  knew  almost  as  much  as  the 
Captain  himself  ;  and  that  it  was  a  great  pity  he  had  not 
been  sent  to  sea  when  he  was  a  boy,  as  there  was  no  knowing 
what  might  have  happened.  I  assented  to  all  he  said,  but 
took  care  to  say  nothing  about  it  to  my  companion,  for  fear 
of  inflaming  liis  malady  ;  as  his  conversation,  even  then,  was 
almost  wholly  made  up  of  the  ])hrases  above  mentioned,  and 
it  was  well  nigh  impossible  to  oljtain  from  him  an  answer  such 
as  a  landsman  could  understand.     As  Captain  Bill,  in  spite 


AND   Leaden   Realities.  35 

of  tliis  little  infirmity,  was  a  very  clever  fellow,  and  was  repu- 
ted to  have  a  great  deal  of  what  is  commonly  called  luck,  I 
felicitated  myself,  not  a  little,  on  having  him  for  a  partner,  as 
I  thought  I  must  surely  share  in  his  good  fortune. 

A  younger  brother  of  the  author,  who  having  like  Captain 
Bill  lost  his  proper  title,  was  distinguished  by  the  name  of 
Tertium  Quid,  or  simply  Tertium,  and  a  big  bull-dog  called 
Zachary  Taylor,  completed  our  little  party. 

The  most  conspicuous  person  in  the  ship  was  Charley 
Bainbridge  ;  who,  without  being  acknowledged  as  such,  was 
generally  regarded  as  the  representative  head  of  the  Ver- 
montcrs.  He  was  the  spoilt  child  of  his  parents,  just  begin- 
ning, curiously,  to  dabble  in  the  great  mudpuddle  of  the  world. 
Laughing  blue  eyes,  hair  brown  and  curUng,  a  frank,  good- 
humoured  expression,  and  a  fine  manly  figure,  had  stamped 
him  plainly  as  one  of  that  happy  or  unhappy  class  who  never 
do  anything  for  themselves,  but  are  always  sure  to  find  others 
ready  to  do  for  them.  He,  as  well  as  his  companions,  were 
declared  decidedly  green,  at  the  outset  of  our  voyage,  by 
some  who  had  seen  a  little  more  of  the  world ;  but,  as  the 
same  uncomfortable  wisdom  had  pronounced  a  similar  judg- 
ment upon  the  author,  the  reader  will  readily  perceive  how 
much  it  was  worth.  Our  hero  left  home  with  an  abundant 
allowance,  but  this  being  exhausted  by  the  time  we  arrived 
at  San  Francisco,  he  was  obliged  to  borrow  money  in  order 
to  reach  the  mines.  The  air  of  the  Yuba,  whither  he  first 
directed  his  steps,  did  not  agree  with  his  health,  and  we  next 
heard  of  him  in  the  southern  mines,  where,  being  still  unsuc- 
cessful, he  borrowed  money  for  the  fourth  time,  and  returning 
to  Sacramento  went  into  the  business  of  cleaning  tripe  on  a 
very  enlarged  scale,  that  plainly  declared  him  intended  only 
for  grand  and  arduous  undertakings.  He  would  undoubtedly 
have  succeeded  in  this  new  enterprise  but  for  one  of  those 
unlucky  accidents  that  sometimes  befall  the  wisest,  and  would 
certainly  never  have  entered  into  the  calculations  of  Napoleon 


HO  G  0  L  D  E  X     D  R  F,  A  M  S 

liiiiisclf.  llii  ^vas  one  day  backing  liis  cart,  filled  with  the 
precious  commodity,  too  near  the  bank  of  the  river,  wliich 
liero  falls  some  thirty  feet  at  a  very  dangerous  angle,  when 
the  wheels  suddenly  passing  beyond  the  brink,  the  tripe,  the 
cart,  and  the  horse  went  rolling  over  each  other  down  the 
declivity  into  the  river.  He  stood  awhile  in  amaze,  such  an 
illustration  of  the  laws  of  gravity  having  probably  never  been 
heard  of  in  the  halls  of  old  Harvard  ;  but,  finding  that  there 
was  no  hope  of  an  immediate  resurrection,  he  cast  one  longing, 
lingering  look  behind,  and  going  at  once  on  board  the  boat 
bid  a  final  farewell  to  the  country  that  had  used  him  so 
ungratefully.  I  was  the  more  interested  in  the  adventures  of 
this  hero,  as  I  thought  they  discovered  a  temper,  like  my  own, 
too  nol.ile  for  what  weaker  and  more  grovelling  minds  call 
success, 

Dan  Carpenter  belonged  to  the  same  party.  He  was 
oftener  called  "  Old  Herculaneum,"  from  an  admirable  mis- 
apprehension of  the  sense  of  that  word,  which  he  was  wont 
to  use,  in  connection  with  grasp,  as  synonomous  with  Hercu- 
lean. He  had  studied  a  little  law,  and  was  the  best  man  at 
checkers  in  the  ship.  His  conversation  was  rather  homely 
than  brilliant,  but  he  sometimes  blundered  into  what  were 
considered  at  sea  very  tolerable  jests. 

A  man  of  a  very  different  stamp  was  Thomas  Busby,  our 
Manhattan  merchant.  He  was  an  admirable  representative 
of  his  class,  and  prouder  of  the  distinction  than  if  he  had 
written  "  The  Reveries  of  a  Bachelor."  He  thought  a  Broad- 
way merchant  the  greatest  man  in  the  world,  and  himself  the 
greatest  merchant  in  Broadway.  He  was  the  most  respect- 
able man  I  ever  saw, — the  valet,  I  forget  his  name,  in  David 
Tojiperfield,  was  nothing  to  him, — and  this  was  the  more 
remarkable,  since  his  figure  was  too  slight  to  act  the  character 
to  advantage.  His  manner  was  everything  ;  though  really 
below  the  medium  height,  he  had  the  art  ascribed  to  Louis 
XIV.  of  impressing  the  beholder  with  a  painful  idea  of  his 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  37 

majestic  proportions.  Methinks  I  see  him  now  ;  his  shght 
but  jaunty  figure  cased  in  the  finest  of  broadcloth,  his  head 
thrown  back,  his  chest  expanded,  as  if  about  to  toss  a  roll  of 
cloth  on  to  a  counter  ;  and  then  his  voice  !  it  seemed  impos- 
sible it  should  proceed  from  anything  less  than  a  giant, — 
indeed  I  never  believed  it  rightfully  belonged  to  him,  but  was 
one  he  had  stolen  from  some  thick-witted  Goliah,  with  whom 
he  had  left  his  own  piping  notes  in  exchange. 

His  most  amusing  idiosyncrasy,  however,  was  his  contempt 
for  college  learning;  it  amounted  to  a  positive  mania.  "When 
any  one,"  said  he,  "  applied  for  a  situation  at  our  store,  (he 
was  fond  of  telling  how  many  clerks  he  employed  at  once,)  I 
always  asked  him  if  he  had  been  to  college  ;  and,  if  he  had, 
that  was  enough — I  had  nothing  more  to  do  with  him."  In 
spite  however  of  this  antipathy,  he  had  once  studied  a  Uttle 
Latin,  and  adroitly  contrived  to  be  vain  of  this  distinc- 
tion, and,  at  the  same  time,  of  having  forgotten  all  he  had 
learned. 

Tlie  little  spice  of  the  ridiculous  thus  mingled  in  his  com- 
position only  made  Busby  the  more  agreeable  as  a  compan- 
ion ;  as  it  is  impossible  to  feel  an  affection,  I  had  almost  said 
respect,  for  one  at  whom  we  cannot  sometimes  laugh. 

Then  there  was ,  that  Will-o'-the-wisp,  that  strange 

compound  of  opposite  and  seemingly,  contradictory  qualities, 
the  unwinking,  almost  ubiquitous  celerity  of  the  lizard,  and 
more  than  elephantine  clumsiness.  He  needed  to  tie  up  his 
wits,  as  Lightfoot  in  the  story  tied  up  his  legs  that  he  might 
run  slow  enough  to  catch  the  deer.  He  walked  with  a  pair 
of  seven-league  boots,  and  stept  beyond  the  mark  continually. 

At  table,  he  was  the  victim  of  more  unlucky  accidents  than 
all  the  rest  of  the  ship's  company.  He  upset  his  soup  into 
his  lap.  He  ran  his  fork  through  his  cheek.  He  stept  into 
the  slop-pail.  He  trod  on  his  own  toes.  He  tript  himself  up. 
If  it  had  been  possible,  he  would  have  run  between  his  own 
legs.     He  was  always  sure  to  spit  on  his  own  boot,  or  oa  an- 


39  G  O  L  D  E  N     D  H  E  A  M  S 

other's.  lie  emptietl  his  wash-bowl  on  the  Captain's  head.  Off 
Cape  Horn  he  full  overboard,  and  only  saved  himself  by  catch- 
ing his  leg  in  a  rope  that  lamed  him  for  a  week.  As  he  said, 
nobody  else  could  have  possibly  done  it ;  but  nobody  else 
would  have  fallen. 


AND    Leaden   Realities.  39 


CHAPTER  IV. 

TXT  EARLY  two  mouths  after  leaving  home  we  entered  the 
-L '  harbour  of  Rio  ;  or,  to  borrow  the  spirited  lines  of 
Madame  W.  our  poetess, — we  were  so  fortunate  as  to  possess, 
the  species,  both  male  and  female, — 

"  We  crossed  the  line  in  cheerful  glee, 
And  anchored  safe  in  Eio  Janee." 

We  were  nearly  out  of  sight  of  the  city;  but  its  scattering 
suburbs  lay  all  around  in  the  laps  of  the  mountains,  the  white 
walls  of  the  houses  contrasting  finely  Avith  the  deep  green  of 
the  back  ground.  The  nearest  mountain  peaks  stood  with 
their  naked  feet  in  the  very  bottom  of  the  bay,  presenting,  on 
the  water  side,  a  smooth,  and,  in  many  places,  almost  perpen- 
dicular wall,  and  enclosing  between  them  long  winding  coves, 
stretching  away  almost  out  of  sight. 

We  were  obliged  to  remain  on  board  all  the  next  morning, 
until  the  officers  had  made  their  customary  visit,  but  having 
endured  this  formality  with  what  patience  we  could,  and  eaten 
a  dinner  of  "  fresh,"  as  it  is  called  at  sea,  we  went  ashore 
in  a  boat  manned  by  four  slaves  entirely  naked.  We  landed 
near  the  emperor's  palace;  and  having  no  particular  object  in 
view,  strolled  through  the  streets  as  chance  directed.  Partly 
from  thoughtlessness,  and  partly  to  obtain  a  better  view  of 
the  buildings,  Ave  walked  carelessly  along,  in  the  middle  of  the 
street,  staring  about  us  like  a  parcel  of  backcountrymen  just 
landed  in  the  city  of  New  York  :  at  least  so  said  the  respect- 


40  G  O  L  D  K  N     D  R  E  A  M  S 

able  Busby,  who  never,  iu  any  case,  forgot  bis  propriety,  and 
even  now,  though  nobody  about  him  talked  with  an  English 
tongue,  or  saw*  with  English  eyes,  conducted  himself  precisely 
as  if  he  had  been  in  his  favourite  Broadway. 

But  we  were  too  much  engrossed  with  the  strange  objects 
about  us,  to  waste  a  thought  on  our  own  appearance.  It  was 
as  if  we  had  gone  back  to  the  days  of  childhood,  and  recov- 
ered, for  a  season,  that  delicious  sense  of  novelty  that  gave 
those  days  their  peculiar  charm.  We  resembled  a  piece  of 
sponge,  from  which  the  last  drop  had  been  squeezed,  suddenly 
plunged  into  a  vessel  of  water.  Every  sense,  every  pore, 
seemed  made  the  highway  for  a  whole  host  of  new  ideas.  We 
read  volumes  at  a  glance,  sucked  up  knowledge  at  every 
breath,  and  found  sermons  in  the  very  stones  of  the  streets. 
Slaves  were  crossing  the  great  square  in  every  direction, 
carrying  on  their  heads  tall  jars  of  water,  baskets  of  clothes 
to  be  washed  at  the  fountain,  and  large  trays  full  of  fruit  and 
flowers.  They  moved  with  a  peculiar  erect  and  springing 
gait,  balancing  their  awkward  burdens  with  such  dexterity  as 
made  them  seem  rather  a  natural  excrescence  than  anything 
they  could  lay  aside  at  pleasure.  Others  were  basking  in  the 
sun,  in  the  very  middle  of  the  street,  like  so  many  bundles  of 
old  clothes. 

When  they  were  wanted  for  any  purpose,  and  failed  to 
arouse  themselves  at  the  first  signal,  the  impatient  master 
would  run  upon  them,  and,  after  an  enlivening  series  of  hearty 
kicks  and  tlminps,  hale  them  along  to  their  work  like  a  re- 
fractory or  worn-out  hor.se  ;  and  indeed  they  performed  most 
of  that  work  assigned  to  horses  in  more  humane  countries. 
Every  thing  whose  weight  permitted  they  carried  on  their 
heads  or  backs,  and  these  burdens  were  often  so  heavy,  that 
two  or  three  men  were  required  to  raLse  them.  In  other 
cases  they  made  us3  of  a  rude  cart,  with  two  low  wheels, 
which  was  puslicd  and  pulled  along  by  a  dozen  slaves.  One 
usually  took  his  station  at  each  wheel,  and  tugged,  apparently 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  41 

very  hard,  at  the  spokes.  But  all  were  evidently  skillful 
adepts  at  the  art  of  sogering  ;  and  a  single  horse,  with  a 
properly  constructed  cart,  would  have  drawn  three  times  their 
ordinary  load. 

As  we  were  walking  through  a  narrow  street,  about  thirty 
slaves  came  suddenly  upon  us,  round  a  corner,  moving  at  a 
slow  trot,  carrying  on  their  backs  bales  of  sheeting,  and  keep- 
ing time  to  their  step  by  a  loud,  monotonous  chant.  They 
threw  dov,-n  their  loads  at  a  door  we  were  passing,  and, 
stopping  their  music,  one  by  one,  hurried  away  like  the  genii 
of  the  Arabian  tales,  who,  having  performed  their  master's 
bidding,  disappeared  as  mysteriously  as  they  came. 

Tiie  buildings  of  Rio  are  generally  heavy  and  substantial, 
with  little  exterior  decoration.  Their  churches  resemble,  in 
this  respect,  the  shell  of  an  oyster,  rough  and  rude  without, 
but  of  a  metallic  brilliancy  within.  It  was  a  festival  of  some 
sort  at  the  close  of  Lent,  and  the  churches  were  all  open, 
though  we  saw  but  few  worshippers.  Little  boys  were 
dragging  effigies  of  Judas  about  the  streets,  and  beating  thern 
witli  sticks,  with  the  most  edifying  zeal  and  devotion. 

Having  somewhat  satiated  our  curiosity,  we  returned  to 
the  Hotel  Pharoux,  to  take  a  supplemental  dinner.  This  was 
a  French  cafe  in  spite  of  its  Egyptian  title  ;  the  cooking  was 
excellent,  and  the  idea  of  being  served  by  veritable  Parlezvous 
highly  gratifying,  at  least  to  the  provincials  of  our  party,  who 
had  very  likely  never  seen  one  of  those  animals  before. 

"  Here,  garsong"  cried  Charley  Bainbridge,  with  an  air, 
"  donny  moy  some  pully  a  potage,  and  some  pang  a  boottre." 

"  Oui,  monsieur"  replied  the  ready  Frenchman,  who  had 
acquired  by  long  practice  a  marvellous  facility  in  interpreting 
the  patois  of  his  guests  ;  but  as  the  reader  may  be  less  success- 
ful, I  would  explain  that  the  mysterious  substantives  above, 
signified  chicken  and  potatoes,  bread  and  butter. 

Charley's  example  was,  as  usual,  contagious,  and  presently 
there  arose  a  Babel  of  English,  interspersed  with  such  mongrel 


42  GoLDKN    Dreams 

French  and  Spanish  as  might  have  taxed  the  triple  throat  of 
Cerberus  himself.  Captain  Bill,  whose  whole  stock  in  foreign 
languages,  if  we  exclude  that  in  which  we  have  already  shown 
his  proficiency,  consisted  of  three  words,  si,  monsieur,  and 
mademoiselle,  traded  upon  this  slender  capital  with  unequalled 
success.  "Si  monsieur,"  or  "si  mademoiselle"  he  constantly 
repeated,  whenever  any  of  the  waiters  approached  the  table, 
somtimes  interrogatively,  sometimes  affirmatively,  and  some- 
times suggestively,  but  always  with  a  bland  smile,  expressive 
of  the  highest  self-satisfaction  and  contentment. 

Our  dinner  consisted  of  hifitek,  potatoes,  bread  and  butter, 
and  coffee,  all  of  the  finest  quality — but  we  were  somewhat 
alarmed,  when  our  bill  was  presented,  at  sight  of  a  long  row 
of  figures  swelling  up  to  a  total  of  several  thousands.  A  few 
words,  however,  soon  removed  our  apprehensions  ;  the  thou- 
sands were  nothing  but  reys,  twenty  of  which  make  one  cent. 
The  milrey,  or  thousand  reys,  is  a  silver  coin  equivalent  to  our 
half  dollar.  They  have  also  a  copper  coin  about  equal  in 
value  to  two  cents,  of  a  very  clumsy  form,  and  appropriately 
called  a  dump. 

The  Hotel  Pharoux  was  our  favourite  lounge  while  we  re- 
mained on  shore.  It  was  constantly  thronged  with  a  motley 
crowd  of  Californians,  man-of-war's  men,  and  others  of  various 
nations,  presenting  altogether  a  scene  of  the  most  lively  and 
amusing  description.  "We  now  began,  for  the  first  time,  to 
feel  the  suck  and  swing  of  that  mighty  maelstrom  into  which 
we  had  ventured.  Sixty  ships  had  been  at  Rio  before  us — 
and,  wliile  we  were  there,  the  number  of  Californians  in  port 
was  over  a  thousand.  We  naturally  regarded  all  these  as,  in 
some  sort,  our  rivals,  and  the  excitement  of  competition  was 
thus  aggravated  a  hundred-fold.  It  was  impossible  to  get 
rid  of  tlie  absurd  notion,  that  the  whole  country  would  be 
appropriated  before  we  had  set  foot  in  it,  and  that  we  should 
thus  be  in  the  awkward  predicament  of  a  dilatory  guest,  who 


AXD   Leadei?   Realities.  43 

arrives  only  in  time  to  be  tantalized  by  sight  of  the  fragments 
of  the  feast. 

The  next  day  was  Sunday.  It  was  ushered  in  by  the 
chiming  of  bells,  bursts  of  martial  music,  and  the  thunder  of 
cannon.  Going  early  on  shore,  we  found  all  the  shops  open 
as  usual,  and  nothing  to  distinguish  the  day  but  the  increased 
display  in  the  churches.  Hearing  that  the  Emperor  was  to 
be  present  in  the  cathedral  attached  to  his  palace,  and  front- 
ing the  great  square,  we  went  at  an  early  hour  for  the  pur- 
pose of  seeing  his  Majesty.  After  we  had  stood  several  hours, 
he  came  in  at  a  private  entrance,  attended  by  the  Empress, 
and  took  his  seat  on  an  elevated  platform  that  affokled  us  a 
fine  view  of  his  person.  He  was  tall  and  finely  formed,  dressed 
in  military  uniform,  and  was,  altogether,  just  such  a  figure  as 
one  v.'ould  naturally  expect  in  an  Emperor. 

The  catliedral  shone  like  a  great  jewel  box,  with  gold  and 
silver  ;  a  numerous  and  enthusiastic  band  played  martial  airs 
with  all  their  might  and  main  ;  and  the  Emperor,  and  the 
priests,  and  the  dignitaries  of  the  Empire,  and  the  foreign 
ambassadors,  standing  meekly  and  foolishly  in  a  row,  like  a 
class  of  school  boys — and  all  the  congregation,  save  and  ex- 
cept some  unterrified  Californian,  and  the  saints  that  stood  in 
gold-aiid-silvery  dignity  around  the  sides  of  the  cathedral, 
kept  kneeling  down  and  getting  up  again  in  the  most  unex- 
pected manner. 

After  some  time  spent  in  this  way,  an  ecclesiastic,  richly 
dressed,  climbed  up  into  a  sort  of  martin-house  that  stood  on 
one  side  ;  and  poking  his  head  and  shoulders  out  at  the  top, 
somewhat  in  the  manner  of  those  ingenious  Ijouncing  toys 
with  which  children  are  so  deliciously  frightened,  he  began 
to  shout  down  to  us  below  like  a  sweep  on  top  of  a  chimney. 
But  no  one  regarded  him,  though  he  doubtless  talked  very 
wisely,  and  in  Latin,  too;  and,  in  fifteen  minutes,  he  came 
down  again,  very  warm  and  red  in  the  face,  and  again  the 
band  struck  up  their  music. 


44  Golden   Dreams 

The  long  service  being  at  length  over,  the  Emperor  left 
the  cathedral,  and  passed  through  the  whole  length  of  his 
palace  to  the  principal  entrance,  where  a  carriage  was  in 
readiness  to  convey  him  to  his  country-seat.  Having  handed 
his  empress  into  the  carriage  as  politely  as  if  he  had  been 
only  a  private  individual,  he  took  his  seat  beside  her  ;  the 
door  was  closed,  and  the  six  horses  instantly  set  off  at  full 
gallop,  diagonally  across  the  square,  to  the  imminent  danger 
of  his  loyal  subjects,  who  had  much  ado  to  get  out  of  the 
royal  road.  The  whole  scene  reminded  me  very  pleasantly 
of  a  picture  I  had  often  studied,  with  great  interest,  ia 
somebody's  geography,  representing  a  nobleman — in  Austria, 
I  think — riding  over  a  cripple,  who  held  up  his  wooden  leg 
bayonetwise  against  the  frightened  horses.  When  the  em- 
peror has  thus  swept  away  like  a  whirlwind,  and  his  escort 
had  gone  galloping  after  him  on  diminitive  horses,  his  suit 
also  got  into  carriages,  and  followed,  more  soberly,  in  the 
same  direction. 

We  spent  Monday  and  Tuesday  in  vrandering  aliout  the 
city,  and  in  pui'chasing  a  few  luxuries  for  use  at  sea.  Wed- 
nesday morning,  I  went,  with  a  small  party,  in  one  of  the 
ship's  boats,  several  miles  up  into  one  of  the  arms  of  the 
bay,  for  the  purpose  of  buying  oranges.  Leaving  the  boat 
anchored  a  short  distance  from  the  beach,  we  struck  into  a 
narrow  lane  or  footpath  leading  up  into  the  country,  and 
shut  in,  on  both  sides,  by  the  queerest  and  most  eccentric 
forest  I  had  ever  seen.  Every  tree,  shrub,  and  flower  was  a 
most  decided  humourist,  and  had  its  own  way  of  gi'owing, 
entirely  dilferent  from  its  neighbours.  Instead  of  harmoniz- 
ing with  each  other,  like  the  twin  quakers  of  a  Xorthern 
forest,  each  one  seemed  trying  to  be  as  odd  and  outre  as 
possible. 

There  were  beauties  there  of  every  description,  but  they 
needed  a  cunning  hand  to  sort  and  arrange  them.  The 
efifect,  though  almost  bewildering  by  its  brilliancy,  was  not, 


AN£)     LEADE^•     ReaLITIES.  45 

in  the  end,  agreeable  to  my  plain  republican  notions.  The 
eye  is  wearied  by  so  much  slovenly  magnificence,  such  wasted 
prodigality,  and  ostentatious  vanity;  and  would  gladly  turn 
to  "  the  sober  realm  of  leafless  trees,"  even  of  our  own 
November. 

"Walking  a  mile  over  the  deep,  fine  sand,  we  came  to  the 
plantation  to  which  we  had  been  directed.  The  house, 
which  was  small  and  light,  like  a  huge  bird-cage  of  bamboo, 
stood  in  the  midst  of  an  orange  orchard,  where  the  fruit 
was  hanging  on  the  trees  in  the  greatest  profusion.  The 
price  demanded  was  twenty-five  cents  a  hundred  ;  we  were 
to  gather  the  oranges  ourselves,  and  wherever  we  pleased, 
with  the  exception  of  half  a  dozen  trees,  the  fruit  of  which, 
being  of  a  higher  flavour,  was  reserved  by  the  owner  for  his 
own  use.  It  was  a  very  pleasant  novelt}- — this  picking 
oranges  as  though  they  had  been  apples — tasting  one,  here 
and  there,  and  throwing  it  magnanimously  away,  if  it  were 
not  quite  first-rate  ;  but  we  had  little  leisure  for  such 
pastimes.  We  selected  the  sweetest  trees,  and  stopping 
only  to  pick  the  thickest  of  the  fruit,  we  had  collected  by 
noon  more  than  five  thousand  oranges,  which  we  thought  as 
many  as  our  boat  would  hold. 

After  eating  the  dinner  we  had  brought  from  the  ship, 
we  strolled  off  to  a  neighbouring  plantation,  where  we  found 
a  similar  bird-cage  perched  on  a  slight  elevation,  and  its 
owner,  a  little,  squat,  bandy-legged  Frenchman,  engaged  in 
drying  coffee  on  mats  spread  before  the  door.  He  received 
us  with  the  greatest  cordiality;  and  after  his  heart  was  a 
little  warmed  by  the  wine  he  had  compelled  us  to  dx-ink  with 
him,  he  began  to  give  us  some  account  of  his  former  history; 
and  at  length  informed  us  that  he  had  served  in  the  armies 
of  the  great  Emperor.  Stripping  up  his  sleeve,  with  charac- 
teristic vivacity,  he  exhibited  the  wounds  he  had  received  in 
his  service,  with  as  much  pride  and  enthusiasm  as  if  they 
had  been  the  cross  of  the  Legion  of  Honour.     It  seemed 


46  Golden  Dreams 

strangely  incongruous  to  find  one  who  had  played  a  part, 
even  though  the  humblest,  in  that  stirring  drama,  mouldering 
away,  like  a  forgotten  firebrand,  in  this  woody  solitude,  long 
after  the  fierce  flame  of  battle  had  gone  out  on  the  field  of 
Waterloo. 

We  were  employed  the  whole  afternoon  iu  conveying  our 
booty  to  the  boat.  After  working  hard  all  the  morning,  we 
found  little  romance  in  carrying  one  or  two  hundred  oranges, 
in  bags,  on  our  heads,  over  the  hot  yielding  sand  ;  and  there 
was  a  general  exclamation  of  satisfaction  when  the  last  load 
came  heavily  down  to  the  beach.  We  reached  the  ship  long 
after  sun-down,  and  bid  a  final  farewell  to  Rio  the  next 
mornins:. 


AND    Leaden    Kkalities.  47 


CHAPTER   V. 

MY  quiet  room-mate  went  with  us  uo  farther.  He  was 
disheartened  by  the  length  of  the  voyage,  and  perhaps 
thought  Brazil  presented  quite  as  many  advantages  as 
California.  His  place  was  filled  by  a  young,  red-haired 
Scotchman,  who  had  foi-merly  lived  in  Edinburgh,  and  sat 
on  the  knee  of  Sir  Walter.  He  had  been  on  one  or  two 
whaling  voyages,  and  had  evidently  seen  the  world.  He 
played  on  the  guitar — sang  a  variety  of  songs,  some  of 
which  were  of  a  very  doubtful  character — was  an  expert 
boxer — had  something  of  a  turn  for  poetry  and  light  litera- 
ture— and,  in  spite  of  his  unsettled,  wandering  life,  still 
possessed,  to  an  unusual  degree,  that  sort  of  native  refine- 
ment that  makes  one  tender  of  the  feelings  and  weaknesses 
of  others.  He  seemed,  however,  to  value  these  various 
accomphshments  only  as  passports  to  the  favour  of  the 
other  sex.  His  successes  in  that  line  had  been  very  numer- 
ous, according  to  his  own  showing,  and  had  confirmed  him 
in  the  belief  that  there  was  no  such  thing  as  virtue  in  the 
world. 

On  leaving  port,  we  plunged  at  once  into  the  region  of 
storms.  The  tropic  of  Capricorn  seemed  an  actual  wall  of 
separation,  dividing  two  distinct  climates  as  smoothly  and 
evenly  as  it  does  the  zones  upon  the  map.  On  one  side,  all 
was  bright  and  serene  ;  on  the  other,  cloudy  and  tempest- 
uous.    Off  the  mouth  of  the  La  Platte,  the  mariner  is  sure 


48  G  o  y.  D  E  N   13  u  E  a  m  s 

to  encounter  heavy  seas,  as  if  there  floated  down  that  mag- 
nilicent  river,  from  its  mountain  birthplace,  nothing  but 
miniature  Andes  to  encumber  the  smooth  surface  of  the 
deep.  Day  after  day  we  climbed  up  and  down  these  hills, 
as  slowly  and  painfully  as  a  man  walking  over  a  ploughed 
field.  "Wc  gained,  seemingly,  not  a  foot  ;  and  I  sometimes 
thought  we  were  to  remain  there  forever  seesawing  the  same 
dull  wave.  Every  morning  we  found  ourselves  apparently 
just  where  we  were  the  night  before  ;  the  same  ill-looking 
wave  on  our  quarter,  the  same  dirty  cloud  over  head.  Drive 
as  hard  as  we  could,  there  was  no  getting  away  from  them  ; 
they  still,  like  the  headless  horseman,  preserved  the  same 
relative  position. 

But  the  ocean  was  no  longer  a  solitude  ;  the  space  around 
the  ship  resembled  rather  an  immense  barnyard  thronged  with  a 
greater  variety  of  poultry  than  is  often  seen,  even  in  the  enclo- 
sures of  the  most  successful  fancier.  There  were  little  bevies 
of  Mother  Gary's  Chickens — flocks  of  Cape  pigeons,  gonies, 
haglctts,  and  raoilymocks  ;  and,  largest  and  noblest  of  all, 
the  solitary  albatross.  They  followed  us  for  miles,  floating 
on  the  water  till  almost  out  of  sight,  then  regaining  their 
position  by  a  hasty  flight.  We  fished  for  them  with  great 
success,  using  for  bait  a  bit  of  pork  attached  to  a  stout 
hook,  which,  being  sufi'ered  to  float  on  a  piece  of  board,  far 
behind  the  ship,  was  eagerly  swallowed  by  these  greedy 
scavengers. 

The  largest  albatross  measured  nearly  twelve  feet  across 
his  wings,  though  his  body  was  no  larger  than  a  goose.  Their 
powers  of  flight  are  unrivalled.  I  used  to  watch  them  for 
hours  together,  circling  with  prying  eyes  round  the  ship,  now 
rising,  now  falling,  now  coming  up  heavily  against  the  wind, 
then  suddenly  shooting  away  l)cfore  it,  like  a  kite  that  has 
broken  its  string  ;  and  all,  apparently,  without  any  more  ex- 
ertion than  isvisil)le  in  the  flight  of  a  thistledown,  their  "sail 
broad  vans"  remaining  constantly  motionless,  with  the  excep- 


AKD    Leaden    Realities.  49 

tion,  now  and  then,  of  a  single,  almost  inipcreeptible  flap,  as 
they  varied  their  course  to  one  side  or  the  other. 

When  drawn  on  board,  and  placed  upon  the  deck,  the 
albatross  lost  at  once  all  this  poetry  of  motion,  and  became 
an  awkward,  ungainly  bird,  unable  to  rise  into  the  air,  and 
in  constant  danger  of  tumbling  forward  on  to  its  ugly  nose. 
I  was  rather  disappointed  by  the  indifference  of  our  sailors  on 
tins  interesting  subject.  They  viewed  the  death  of  their  patron 
bird  with  as  little  concern  as  if  it  had  been  a  turkey  ;  they 
had  no  superstitious  fears  about  ill-luck  thence  arising  ;  and, 
indeed,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  were  as  little  given  to  superstition 
of  any  kind  as  the  stoutest  eulightener  of  the  masses  could 
desire. 

Some  of  the  smaller  birds  were  also  killed  for  food  ;  but 
their  feathers  were  so  disproportioned  to  the  flesh,  that  they 
were  not  worth  the  trouble  of  picking.  A  far  more  abundant 
and  grateful  repast  was  furnished  by  a  porpoise,  that  was 
harpooned  as  he  frolicked  past  the  bows.  No  sooner  was 
the  approach  of  these  playful  creatures  discovered,  than  the 
inspiriting  cry  of  "  porpoise,"  "porpoise,"  was  echoed  through 
the  sliip,  and  all  hands  were  instantly  on  the  alert.  They 
generally  made  their  first  appearance  on  our  quarter  ;  and 
speedily  overtaking  us,  rolled,  in  broken  files,  and  with  many 
an  awkward  bound  and  splash,  directly  under  the  bowsprit. 
A  harpoon  was  always  kept  in  readiness  for  such  an  emergency, 
and  the  second  mate,  who  was  an  old  hand  at  the  business, 
taking  his  station  on  the  martingal,  waited  a  favourable 
opportunity  to  hurl  his  weapon  into  the  back  of  one  of  the 
plunging  monsters.  This  was  the  first  time  he  had  succeeded, 
and  now  twenty  or  thirty  of  the  passengers,  bowsing  away 
on  the  rope  to  the  tune  of  Uncle  Xed,  soon  landed  our  game 
on  deck.  He  weighed  several  hundred  pounds,  and  the  flesh, 
which  was  remarkably  sweet,  closely  resembling  beef,  furnished 
an  excellent  dinner  for  all  on  board. 

The  sight  of  a  strange  sail  in  these  lonely  seas  aroused  our 
3 


50  Golden    Dkeams 

most  eager  speculation.  She  was  bound  in  the  same  direction 
as  ourselves,  and  we  had  uo  dillit-ulty  in  conjecturing  that  she 
was  seeking  the  same  golden  gate.  She  proved  to  be  the 
ship  Sweden  ;  had  left  port  three  weeks  after  us,  and  partly 
by  not  stopping  at  any  port,  and  partly  by  her  superior  sail- 
ing, had  gained  so  decided  an  advantage.  We  raced  with 
her  two  days  in  succession,  but,  as  the  wind  freshened,  she 
slowly  crept  ahead,  and  our  captain  gave  orders  to  put  on 
more  sail.  The  Sweden  followed  our  example,  and  both 
vessels,  crowded  with  all  the  canvass  they  could  bear,  stag- 
gered, like  a  drunken  man  with  a  barrel  of  whisky  on  his 
shoulders,  heavily,  along  tlieir  uneven  path,  showing  many 
feet  of  their  bright  and  drijjping  copper  at  every  spring. 
Suddenly  the  Sweden  carried  away  her  foresail,  and  we  began 
to  recover  the  ground  we  had  lost.  But  it  Vv'as  set  again 
with  provoking  rapidity,  and,  ere  long,  we  were  compelled  to 
abandon  the  contest.  Before  parting  company,  however,  we 
endeavoured  to  find  out  if  her  commander  intended  to  go 
through  the  Straits  of  Magellan,  as  there  was  a  great  diversity 
of  opinion  on  board  our  ship  as  to  the  expediency  of  attempt- 
ing the  passage.  A  board  was  put  up  in  the  rigging  with  the 
question  printed  on  it  in  large  letters  ;  but  though,  as  we 
afterwards  learned,  tliey  saw  the  board,  they  could  not  make 
out  the  inscription,  and  our  captain,  in  his  perplexity,  finally 
referred  the  matter  to  the  passengers.  The  majority,  knowing 
nothing  of  the  difficulties  of  the  undertaking,  and  naturally 
desirous  to  shorten  the  voyage  as  much  as  possible,  were  in 
favour  of  going  through  the  Straits  ;  but  we  were  fortunately 
prevented  from  making  the  trial  by  adverse  winds  that  drove 
us  wide  of  the  mark,  and  compelled  us  to  take  the  longer,  but 
far  safer  passage  round  the  Horn. 

About  t!ie  middle  of  May  we  arrived  oft"  tho  coast  of 
Patagonia,  and  soon  after  made  Staten  Island.  In  these 
inhospitable  latitudes,  we  found  the  serenest  weather  since 
leaving  Rio  ;  the  sea,  though  heaving  in  lazy  swells,  was 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  51 

almost  as  smooth  as  a  locking-glass.  It  was  evident  tliat  our 
coming  was  unexpected,  and  that  the  fierce  brood  of  storms 
that  infest  that  region  had  left  home  on  some  distant  maraud- 
ing expedition.  We  were  so  near  the  coast  that  we  could 
easil}'  distinguish  the  helmets  of  glittering  snow  worn  by  the 
hills  drawn  up  in  solid  phalanx  near  the  shore  ;  but  we  were 
unable  to  catch  a  glim],se  of  that  race  of  giants  that  had  so 
imposed  upon  our  childish  i'ancy. 

Passing  Terra  del  Fuego,  and  the  little  island  of  Cape 
Horn,  at  too  great  a  distance  to  obtain  a  view  of  those 
famous  headlands,  we  held  steadily  on  our  course  into  still 
higher  latitudes  ;  till,  having  gained  a  sufiBcient  elevation  to 
avoid  all  danger  of  being  blown  back  into  the  Atlantic,  the 
ship's  head  was,  at  last,  turned  towards  the  west ;  and  on  the 
morning  of  the  twenty-second  of  May  we  waked  up  in  the 
Pacific,  with  something  of  the  feeling  of  those  early  navi- 
gators when  they  first  burst  through  into  this  unknown  sea. 

The  sun  off  Cape  Horn  is  a  very  sleepy  fellow,  with  none 
of  that  inconvenient  propensity  to  early  rising  that  elsewhere 
interferes  so  much  with  our  arrangem.ents  ;  he  rose  about 
eight,  attained  a  meridian  altitude  of  some  twelve  degrees, 
and  retired  at  four.  The  weather  was  now  cold  and  squally. 
Spirts  of  rain  or  sleet,  or  what  was  still  worse,  the  tops  of 
the  waves  diiven  in  upon  us  by  the  winds,  made  it  almost  as 
hard  to  remain  upon  deck  as  if  it  had  been  swept  by  the  fire 
of  a  battery.  The  ship  seemed  almost  entirely  deserted  ;  a 
few  of  the  more  resolute  sort,  their  heads  drawn  into  their 
shoulders,  purple  with  cold,  and  half  blinded  by  the  spray, 
still  clung  to  the  rigging,  and  stared  stupidly,  with  puckered 
mouth  and  eyebrows,  out  into  the  immeasurable  gloom.  The 
rest  had  retired,  like  bats  and  owls,  or  a  somnolescent  bear, 
into  the  most  out-of-the-way  places  they  could  find  ;  and  it 
was  about  as  safe  and  agreeable  an  operation  to  disturb  one 
of  them  as  to  stir  up  the  abstracted,  meditative  gentleman 
last  mentioned  from  his  hollow  tree. 


52  G  O  L  D  E  N      I)  n  E  A  M  B 

Slinking  away  to  my  berth,  I  wrapped  myself  in  great- 
coats and  blankets,  and  strove,  by  the  aid  of  a  feeble  lantern 
and  an  entertaining  book,  to  conjure  up  more  pleasing  asso- 
ciations ;  but  the  result  was  a  wretched  failure.  My  narrow 
stateroom,  six  feet  by  four,  contaiucd,  within  its  dark  green 
walls,  as  ranch  that  was  gloomy  and  repulsive  as  the  wet, 
slippery  deck,  and  melancholy  ocean — everything  had  the 
feeling  of  a  "  cold,  damp,  uncomfortable  body." 

Cooking,  in  such  weather,  was  well  nigh  impossible,  but 
fortunately  we  had  no  appetite.  We  were  put  on  an  allow- 
ance of  water,  three  quarts  a  day;  but  then  we  could  not 
have  drunk  half  of  it  if  we  had  tried.  Everybody,  however, 
was  out  of  sorts;  and  the  dismal  weather,  the  wretched  fare, 
and  the  unjustifiable  length  of  the  voyage,  afforded  sufficient 
matter,  if  not  cause,  for  grumbling.  In  such  a  state  of 
mind  it  is  anything  but  agreeable  to  be  left  behind  by  more 
successful  rivals.  A  handsome,  gaily-painted  ship  came  up 
with  us  one  of  these  days,  and  the  usual  question  was  pro- 
pounded, how  long  she  had  been  out.  "  Sixty-one  days," 
was  the  ready  and  self-satisfied  answer  ;  "  how  long  have 
you?"  "One  hundred  and  four,"  very  slowly  and  reluct- 
antly. We  heard  the  passengers  on  the  Loo  Choo  repeat 
the  numl>er  with  jeering  triumph,  as  .«he  forged  ahead,  fling- 
ing up  her  heels,  and  showing  her  l)right  yellow  bottom  in  a 
very  insulting  maimer.  I  hurled  after  them  a  wish  not  of 
the  most  amiable  character,  and  looked  to  see  them  go  down 
together  ;  but  they  held  on  their  course,  rejoicing  in  the 
successful  flam  they  had  put  upon  us.  The  first  question  we 
asked,  on  arriving  at  San  Francisco,  was  about  the  ships  wo 
had  spoken  on  the  way;  and  it  gave  us  no  little  gratification 
to  learn  that  the  Loo  Choo  had  not  yet  coine  into  port.  At 
the  time  of  our  meeting,  she  had  really  been  out  eighty-one 
days,  and  her  whole  passage  was  even  longer  than  our  own. 

We  thin  knew  nothing  of  all  tiiis,  however,  and  it  would 
be  hard  to  find  a  more  discontented,  distracted  set  of  beings 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  53 

than  was  on  board  tlie  Leucotbca  after  the  Loo  Choo  was 
fairly  out  of  sight.  A  merry  party  got  together  round  the 
windlass  for  the  express  purpose  of  cursing  the  ship  and  all 
concerned  in  her,  the  day  in  which  they  ever  heard  there  was 

such  a  place  as  N ,  and  themselves,  most  of  all,  for  having 

taken  passage  in  what  their  prompter  called  such  a  lubberly, 
blubber-hunting  craft.  They  were  unfortunately  interrupted, 
however,' in  their  well  meant  design,  by  the  cheerful  cry  of 
"porpoise,"  " porpoise,"  and  hurrying  to  the  bows,  we  soon 
had  one  of  these  delicate  monsters  floundering  on  deck,  which, 
like  a  lump  of  sugar  to  a  peevish  child,  put  us  all,  for  a  time, 
in  good  humor. 

Early  the  next  morning,  before  it  was  light  enought  to  see 
the  ship's  length,  a  fierce  and  sudden  cry  of  "  put  the  helm 
hard  down,  lower  the  boat,"  pierced  every  part  of  the  ship, 
falling  on  the  ears  of  the  sleeping  passengers  like  their  funeral 
knell.  "What's  the  matter?  is  the  ship  sinking  ?"  cried  at 
once  a  hundred  voices,  and  a  hundred  hearts  stood  still  for 
the  answer.  The  next  moment,  "  a  man  overboard"  explained 
the  alarm,  and  converted  the  lively  apprehensions  for  our 
own  safety  into  a  comparatively  inert  sympathy  for  another. 
The  waves  were  running  mountains  high,  and  the  boats  v/ere 
all  firmly  lashed  in  their  places,  so  that  lowering  one  was  both 
difficult  and  dangerous,  yet  ten  minutes  found  the  man  safe  in 
the  ship,  though  so  thoroughly  exhausted  by  the  intense  cold 
as  to  be  unable  to  stand  alone.  His  escape  v/as  almost 
miraculous  ;  he  was  stationed  just  beneath  the  bowsprit, 
trying  to  harpoon  a  porpoise,  when  the  ship  plunging  heavily, 
he  was  swept  off  by  the  waves.  As  he  passed  along  the  side, 
he  uttered  the  cry  that  had  produced  such  an  excitement,  and 
was  thus  the  first  to  announce  his  own  danger.  He  after- 
wards contrived  to  kick  off  his  boots,  and  being  an  excellent 
swimmer,  kept  his  head  above  water  till  the  boat,  palling 
directly  in  the  wake  of  the  ship,  came  to  his  relief. 

The  night  came  on  unusually  cold  and  blustering.     I  was 


54  G  O  L  U  E  N     D  U  E  A  M  3 

sitting  with  Tcrtinm  and  Captain  Bill,  in  their  stateroom, 
Wiicn  a  faint  smell  of  fire  attracted  our  attention.  As  it 
grew  stronger,  wc  became  greatly  alarmed,  as  indeed  we  well 
might,  for  nothing  can  ap|jcar  more  hideous  to  the  imagina- 
tion, than  a  ship  loaded  with  passengers,  on  fire  of  a  dark, 
stormy,  wintry  night  off  Cape  Horn.  Captain  Bill  now 
hastily  descended  into  the  cabin  and  roused  the  captain,  who 
was  already  asleep,  and  became  almost  palsied  with  fright  oa 
hearing  the  dreadful  tidings. 

"Even  sucli  a  niiin,  so  faint,  so  spiritless, 
So  dull,  so  dead  in  look,  so  woe  begone. 
Drew  Priiim's  curtain  in  the  dead  of  night, 
And  would  have  told  liim  half  his  Troy  was  bnrnVl." 

Before,  however,  he  reached  the  deck,  we  had  opened  the 
door  of  the  adjoining  stateroom,  and  discovered  the  seat  of 
danger.  The  wife  of  one  of  the  seamen,  who  occui)ied  the 
room,  had  incaiitiously  placed  a  hot  brick  lietweeu  the  sheets, 
to  answer  the  pur}iOse  of  a  warming  pan,  and  the  whole 
bedding  was  soon  in  a  light  blaze.  It  was  extinguished 
without  difGcnlty,  and,  as  I  had  disiilayed,  through  the  whole 
of  this  trying  occasion,  tliat  presence  of  mind  of  which  I  am 
so  justly  proud,  I  was  able  to  laugh  without  mercy  at  my 
companions  for  theiv  needless  alarm. 

Tills  was  the  last  of  Cape  Horn.  ><'ear  the  end  of  May 
we  fell  in  with  a  favourable  breeze  that  bore  us,  in  ten  days, 
farther  tlian  we  had  sailed  in  any  preceding  month,  and 
promised  a  speedy  arrival  at  Talcahnano — but,  a  few  hundred 
miles  south  of  that  port,  we  encountered  a  violent  head  wind, 
against  which  we  slowly  toiled  for  nearly  a  week,  and  it  was 
not  till  tiie  12th  of  June  that  we  came  in  sight  of  the  coast 
of  Chili. 

We  came  to  anchor,  the  same  evening,  in  the  little  bay, 
abreast  of  the  town  and  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  shore. 
The  ne.xt  morning  we  were  surrounded  by  native  boats,  bring- 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  55 

ing  narrow-necked  earthen  vessels  full  of  milk,  fine  white 
rolls,  and  baskets  of  eggs  aiid  apples  ;  for  all  which  we  paid 
about  the  same  prices  as  are  usual  iu  our  own  cities.  Going 
on  shore  we  found  ourselves  in  the  dirtiest  little  village  in 
the  world,  except  one  that  I  afterwards  visited  in  Central 
America,  consisting  of  a  few  streets  of  low  houses  built  of  • 
large  coarse  brick,  or  rude  basket  work  daubed  with  clay. 
Talcahuano,  or  Turkeywarner,  as  it  is  oddly  enough  called  by 
sailors,  though  hardly  known  to  the  civilised  world,  has  long 
been  the  favorite  resort  of  ships  engaged  iu  the  whale  fishery. 
They  generally  remain  a  week  or  more  in  port  to  recruit  and 
lay  in  a  stock  of  fresh  provisions,  and  the  town  has  hence  be- 
come the  very  hot  bed  of  vice.  As  we  walked  through  the 
filthy  narrow  streets,  the  open  doors  on  each  side  were  full 
of  Avomen,  who  kept  up  an  incessant  cry  of  "come  in, 
Califorue  ;"  "  Californe,  come  in  ;"  adding  often  other  allure- 
ments of  a  yet  more  unmistakable  character. 

In  the  afternoon  a  large  party  sat  down  to  dinner  in  a 
shambling,  tumbledown  edifice  called  a  liotel,  and  kept  by  an 
American.  Ascending  a  flight  of  narrow,  rickety  stairs,  we 
passed  through  a  range  of  rooms  and  galleries  presenting  the 
very  picture  of  desolation,  till  we  came  to  one  a  little  superior 
to  the  rest,  and  just  wide  enough  for  the  long  narrow  table 
that  by  its  royal  plenty  gave  the  lie  to  all  about  it. 

A  pig,  crispily  roasted  by  some  firm  yet  gentle  hand, 
graced  the  upper  end,  supported,  at  convenient  intervals,  by 
beef,  turkies,  chickens,  and  pigeon  pie  ;  flanked,  in  their  turn, 
by  a  small  but  delicious  species  of  oysters,  potatoes,  and  string 
beans,  bread  and  butter, — the  last  imported  from  the  States 
— with  a  noble  array  of  pitchers  and  bottles  containing  a 
liberal  supply  of  the  cheap  wine  of  the  country — all  furnished 
for  the  moderate  sum  of  half  a  dollar.  The  reader  can  but 
faintly  imagine  the  wholesouled  delight  witli  which  our  senses, 
after  so  long  mortification  and  self-denial,  expatiated  over 
this  dainty  repast.     Yet   call   it  not   aiiimaJ,  sensual,  that 


5G  G  0  L  D  E  N     D  U  E  A  M  S 

agreeable  titillation,  having  its  principal  seat  indeed  in  the 
palate  and  stomach,  but  thence  diffused  over  the  brain  and 
heart,  making  the  one  apprehensive,  quick,  forgetive,  full  of 
nimble,  fiery  and  delectable  shapes, — disposing  the  other  to 
gentle  and  kind  offices,  and  producing,  in  fine,  the  most 
perfect  harmony  of  the  whole  man. 

But  a  more  potent  influence  was  at  work  to  inflame  our 
imaginations.  While  Ave  were  at  sea,  that  faculty  was  com- 
paratively quiescent  ;  our  droning,  isolated  life  was  by  no 
means  favourable  to  excitement,  vrhich  can  hardly  exist  with- 
out novelty  and  frequent  contact  with  others.  We  now  found 
both  of  these  in  abundance,  and  the  marvellous  reports  we 
heard  on  every  side  seemed  to  acquire  a  greater  degree  of 
credibility  from  our  near  a])proach  to  the  fountain  head.  In 
the  inflated  language  of  our  narrators,  that  portion  of  Chili 
was  almost  exhausted  of  its  male  population.  All  along  the 
coast  they  were  hastening  to  the  El  Dorado  ;  some  in  foreign 
shipping,  and  others,  who  could  not  obtain  a  passage,  crept 
along  the  shore  in  boats,  or  set  out  on  a  still  more  perilous 
journey  Ijy  land.  Parties  had  already  returned  with  sums 
varying  from  twenty  to  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  ;  one 
woman  in  particular  was  instanced  who  had  dug  fifty  thousand 
with  her  own  hands,  and  my  informant  had  seen  the  kegs  and 
boxes  that  held  the  gold.  To  all  these  stories  we  listened 
with  the  gravest  deliberation,  and  having,  with  a  degree  of 
sagacity  that  did  us  infinite  credit,  rejected  onc-Iialf  as 
falsehood,  we  swallowed  the  remainder  without  any  further 
difficulty. 

Our  little  party  of  three  was  here  converted  into  a  quadrate 
by  the  addition  of  a  fourth  member,  who  had  been  thus  far 
hesitating  between  the  mines  and  San  Francisco,  but  was  now 
determined  to  try  the  former.  In  honour  of  this  new  member 
we  considered  it  necessary  to  add  somewhat  to  our  bill  of 
fare  for  the  diggings,  and  I  accordingly  went  with  him  to 
examine  into  the  merits  of  some  jerked  beef,  an  article  we 


ANB   Leaden   Realities.  57 

bad  heard  lii«rbly  recommended  for  that  purpose.  It  was  in 
buiuiles  as  big  as  a  flour  barrel,  and  was  nearly  as  tough  and 
unpalatable  as  the  strips  of  hide  that  bound  it  together ;  but 
it  contained  a  deal  of  nourishment,  there  was  no  doubt  about 
that  ;  and  as  for  troul'ling  our  heads  about  the  quality  of  our 
food,  while  making  a  hundred  dollars  apiece  a  day,  such  an 
extravagance  never  entered  our  calculations. 

"We  had  brought  with  us  from  home  an  abundant  supply  of 
beans,  rice,  biscuit,  pork,  and  sugar — cold  water  we  expected 
to  find  in  the  mines  ;  and  on  this  lenten  fare  we  had  no  doubt 
we  should  be  perfectly  content.  But  this  hung  beef  was 
peculiarly  detestable,  and  therefore  higlily  appropriate  as  an 
addition  to  our  list  of  comestibles  ;  the  only  thing,  in  fact, 
wanting  to  add  the  finishing  touch  to  its  unique  ugliness. 
Accordingly  we  bought  the  beef,  congratulating  each  other 
on  our  good  fortune,  carried  it  with  us  into  the  mines,  and 
there  incontinently  hung  it  up  on  a  tree  as  the  only  way  of 
getting  rid  of  so  formidable  an  incumbrance. 

Thursday  it  rained  heavily,  and  the  swell  that  came  in 
from  the  sea  rendered  all  communication  with  the  shore 
extremely  difficult.  Busby  and  Captain  Bill  attempting,  with 
several  others,  to  come  on  board,  were  caught  by  a  roller  that 
stove  their  boat  against  the  beach  and  drenched  them  all  in 
salt  water,  to  the  serious  detriment  of  their  Old-WorM  hats 
and  chest-wrinkled  broadcloth.  This  being  the  season  of  the 
winter  solstice,  we  were  agreeably  disappointed  at  findhig  the 
sun  shining  1«rightly  the  folloviing  morning,  which  encouraged 
us  to  pass  the  day  on  shore.  A  party  even  had  the  hardihood 
to  hire  horses  and  ride  to  the  city  of  Concepclon,  a  distance 
of  ten  miles  ;  but  they  found  the  road  in  a  wretched  con- 
dition, and  were  horribly  scared  by  robbers,  from  whom  they 
escaped  only  by  unparalleled  valour,  perhaps  a  little  tempered 
with  discretion. 

We  met  with  various  delays  in  obtaining  a  supply  of 
water,  and  as  it  was  not  all  on  board  by  Saturday  night,  the 


58  G  O  L  D  E  N     D  R  E  A  M  S 

crew  were  sot  to  work  the  next  nioniing.  Thoy  were  already 
dressed  to  go  ashore  ;  and  Sunday  behig  considered  a  holi- 
day, though  anything  but  a  holy  day,  they  at  first  declared 
they  would  not  hoist  a  cask,  but  finally  pulled  ofi'  their  coats, 
and  went  to  work,  to  the  tune  of  "  Bright  Canaan,  that 
happy  land  !"  and  the  chorus  being  enthusiastically  helped 
aloug  by  some  fifty  voices,  the  casks  came  in  merrily,  and 
the  task  was  finished  in  a  few  hours.  In  the  afternoon  I 
took  a  long  walk  into  the  country  with  Busby  and  Number 
Four.  The  flocks  of  sheep  feeding  on  the  hills  and  the  soft 
green  turf,  the  absence  of  which  I  had  noticed  at  Rio, 
reminded  us  pleasantly  of  Xew-England  ;  but  the  enormous 
cacti,  a  foot  in  diameter,  and  the  odd  little  wattled  cottages, 
built  in  unexpected  situations  on  the  hill  sides,  at  once  dis- 
pelled the  illusion.  We  put  to  sea  Monday  evening,  and 
will  now  take  leave  of  Chili  in  the  words  of  our  gifted 
poetess: 

"  Among  the  fruits  to  l>e  found  there, 
Are  apples,  cubbages,  onions,  and  pear. 
The  animals  is  tlie  same  witli  tlie  exception  of  the  mules  ; 
But  in  this  land  of  freedom,  we  oughter   be   thankful  no  slaveholder 

rules." 


AND   Leaden   Realities.  59 


CHAPTER   VI. 

THE  Leucothea  crept  timidly  out  of  the  harbour,  like  a 
mouse  out  of  its  hole  ;  but  had  scarcely  got  to  sea, 
when  one  of  the  Northers  that  prevail  at  that  season  was 
upon  us,  and  drove  us  far  to  the  south.  Thus  each  time,  on 
leaving  port,  we  had  met  with  storms  ;  and  each  time  I  had 
suffered  from  a  renewal  of  sea-sickness,  though  far  less 
severely  on  each  successive  occasion.  The  young  Scot,  who 
had  shared  my  stateroom  since  leaving  Rio,  had  now  sold 
his  berth  to  an  American  named  Lewis,  and  taken  up  his 
quarters  with  the  first  mate,  of  whom  he  was  an  old  friend 
and  crony. 

Lewis  was  about  thirty-five  years  of  age,  of  a  slender 
habit,  and  a  genteel  sort  of  stoop,  as  if  constantly  afflicted 
with  the  stomach-ache.  He  possessed  the  most  remarkable 
faculty  of  exaggeration,  which  he  began  to  display  almost  as 
soon  as  his  foot  touched  the  deck.  It  was  generally  boast- 
ful, or  egotistical ;  but,  sometimes,  free  from  the  least  taint 
or  alloy,  as  if  the  habit  had  become  so  confirmed  that  he 
continued  to  indulge  in  it  even  when  no  motive  could  be 
detected.  He  had  been  a  sailor,  and  engaged  for  many 
months  in  the  opium  trade  on  the  coast  of  China,  but, 
several  years  before,  had  settled  in  Chili,  where  he  had  since 
enjoyed  great  consideration  as  a  master  mechanic. 

It  was  not  to  be  expected  that  such  a  stick  of  drift  wood 
should  remain  long  in  one  place,  especially  in  the  height  of 
such  at/  freshet  as  was  now  sweeping  past.     Jle  came  OB 


GO  G  O  L  D  E  N     D  R  E  A  M  S 

lioard  with  a  large  chest  of  sandal  wood,  a  Spanish  sarape, 
and  a  pick-axe  about  a  foot  in  length,  that  looked  more  like 
a  plaything  for  children  than  an  instrnment  fur  the  hard 
hands  of  a  California  miner.  But  he  had  not  been  long  in 
the  ship  before  the  little  pick-axe  was  regarded  with  a  sort 
of  mysterious  envy  by  all  those  who  had  been  unfortunate 
enough  to  provide  themselves  with  the  common  two  handed 
implement.  In  his  hands  it  seemed  the  key  which  was  to 
unlock  those  suraless  and  sunless  treasures  hidden  in  the 
bowels  of  the  earth.  It  was  a  nut-picker,  with  which  he 
intended  to  pick  out  the  yellow  meat  from  its  stony  shell. 
He  was  not  going  to  burden  himself  with  pan  or  rocker  ;  but, 
with  his  pockets  stuffed  v/ith  provisions,  his  sarape  on  his 
back,  a  big  leathern  pouch  in  one  hand,  and  his  little  pick- 
axe in  the  other,  he  would  roam  leisurely  and  pleasantly 
among  the  mountains  and  over  the  plains  for -two  or  three 
months  ;  when  he  should  have  as  much  gold,  so  he  said,  as 
he  knew  what  to  do  with.  He  had  acquaintance,  Chilians, 
who  had  been  there  before,  who  had  promised  to  take  him  to 
places  where  there  would  be  hardly  enough  difficulty  in  the 
the  work  to  make  it  pleasant. 

All  this  seemed,  l»y  some  strange  necromancy,  to  grow 
out  of  that  mysterious  instrument  ;  and,  as  I  lay  in  my 
berth  listening  to  his  droning  narrative  of  what  he  had 
heard,  and  what  he  intended  to  do,  I  was  sometimes  tempted 
to  steal  it  while  he  slept.  JNIy  envy,  however,  was  somewhat 
allayed  by  his  consolatory  assurances  that,  even  without  such 
aid,  I  could  make  a  very  handsome  fortune.  Having  hinted 
to  him  one  day  my  modest  expectations,  "  Humph,"  he  said, 
in  a  tone  that  seemed  to  imply  a  degree  of  contempt  for 
such  poverty  of  spirits,  "  Ilumjih  !  if  that's  all,  there's  no 
danger  but  what  you'll  make  it  fast  enough  ;  the  least  you 
can  do  is  to  dig  fifty  thousand  this  summer."  If  any  one 
else  had  made  this  assertion,  it  would  have  carried  no  weight 
with  it ;  but  his  manner  was  so  imposing,  and  then  there 


AND   Leaden   Realities.  61 

was  the  little  pick-axe — it  seemed  to  give  a  sort  of  authority 
in  such  matters.  I  felt  grateful  to  him  as  if  he  had  said,  "  I 
give  you,  out  of  the  nobleness  and  generosity  of  my  disposi- 
tion, so  many  thousands." 

Such  stories,  constantly  repeated,  could  not  fail  to  have 
tlieir  effect ;  the  excitement  in  the  ship  visibly  increased,  and 
Lewis,  l)y  virtue  of  his  superior  knowledge,  arrogated  to 
himself  prodigious  importance.  Meeting  him  on  shore,  a 
few  days  after  we  landed  at  San  Francisco,  I  asked  him 
when  he  was  going  to  the  mines  ;  when,  to  my  infinite  sur- 
prise and  consternation,  he  replied  that  he  had  made  up  his 
mind  not  to  go  at  all.  Nothing  could  have  given  my  faith 
such  a  fearful  shock  ;  but  just  then,  when  it  seemed  about  to 
perish  altogether,  it  was  fortunately  confirmed  in  a  new  and 
surprising  manner,  an  account  of  which  will  be  given  here- 
after. Lewis,  as  well  as  my  last  room-mate,  was  something 
of  a  literary  character,  and  the  extent  of  his  acquirements 
may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  Lippard,  and  Rev.  Gr, 
Chauncey  Burr — I  love,  as  the  good  vicar  says,  to  give  the 
whole  name — were  his  favourite  authors. 

The  storm  having,  at  length,  blown  itself  out,  the  ship 
began  to  present  a  scene  of  unusual  activity.  The  hurri- 
cane deck  was  filled  with  tent-makers  and  boat-builders,  a 
carpenter's  bench  was  put  up  amidships,  and  a  blacksmith's 
forge  puffed  and  glowed  under  the  forward  galley.  Knap- 
sacks, powder-horns,  pick-axes,  boatsails,  hammocks,  and 
gold-washers  were  made  or  refitted  ;  and  those  who  were 
already  provided  with  these  various  articles,  or  expected  to 
have  no  use  for  them,  caught  the  busy  infection,  and  began 
to  schrimpschong  with  most  laudable  perseverance.  Schrimj> 
schonging  is  a  word  of  most  varied  significance.  It  is 
derived  from  the  low  Dutch,  and  includes  all  those  kinds  of 
labour  between  the  useful  and  ornamental,  but  verging  more 
on  the  latter.  Whittling  is  the  simplest  form  of  the  disease  ; 
most  kinds  of  ladies'  work,  all  those  ingenious  inventions  in 


62  G  O  L  D  E  N     D  R  K  A  M  S 

silk  and  worsted,  must  be  regarded  as  still  more  alarminpj 
indications.  With  us,  it  manifested  itself  cbiefly  in  making 
ornamental  dippers  out  of  cocoauut  shells,  and  a  certain 
necromantic  puzzle,  for  -which  one  of  the  crew,  himself  a 
confirmed  schrimpschonger,  had  furnished  the  model. 

We  began  also  at  this  time  to  compare  our  different 
plans  for  the  approaching  straggle,  all  different,  but  all  alike 
monstrous  and  impossible.  From  my  present  advanced  posi- 
tion I  look  Ijack  upon  our  ignorant  simplicity,  with  smiling 
pity,  as  if  I  possessed  a  duplicate  personality,  and  had,  in  my 
present  self,  no  concern  in  any  of  those  absurd  fictions  tluxt 
then  imposed  themselves  upon  us  for  truth. 

I  have  already  given  some  hints  of  our  rude  geographical 
and  geological  knowledge  of  California.  The  rivers  there 
occupied  a  very  prominent  position.  They  were  broad, 
placid  streams,  flowing  gently  between  green  banks.  Several 
parties  in  the  ship  were  now  at  work  painting  and  enlarging 
the  boats  they  had  brought  with  them  for  the  purpose  of 
ascending  these  favourable  rivers.  They  talked,  with  the  quiet 
complacency  of  superior  wisdom,  of  sailing  along  from  point 
to  point  ;  searching  out  the  richest  portions — now  shooting  a 
fat  buck,  as  he  stooped  to  quench  his  thirst — now  digging 
out  a  peck  of  nuggets  like  so  many  clams — now  gliding 
through  the  unbroken  forest — and  anon  shooting  out  into  the 
sun  in  front  of  some  little  encaminnent  of  miners — till, 
having  filled  the  boat  with  gold,  they  would  throw  over- 
board all  their  tools,  and,  with  colours  flying  and  guns 
firing,  drop  down  the  river  to  the  bay,  and  return  home. 

It  was,  indeed,  a  most  seductive  picture,  glowing  like  an 
Eastern  talc,  or  the  stories  of  those  old  buccaneers  rifling  a 
Spanish  galleon — how  the  word  seems  to  roll  in  riches — and 
aroused  our  desires  to  go  a  gold  hunting  in  the  same  pri- 
vateering fashion.  Some  one  suggested  that  there  might  be 
steamboats  or  schooners  on  the  rivers,  that  would  carry  us 
up  as  f:  r  as  we  wished  to  go  ;  but  this  idea  met  with  little 


AND   Leaden   Realities.  63 

encouragement  from  any  one,  and  was  scouted  by  all  the 
boat-builders  with  the  highest  indignation. 

Another  subject  of  nearly  equal  interest  was  the  great 
variety  of  gold-washers,  from  which  we  had  to  make  a  selec- 
tion. One  party  brought  out  a  heavy  iron  tub,  as  big  as  a 
cartwheel,  and  exhibited  its  mode  of  operation  with  a  ludi- 
crous mixture  of  doubt  and  complacency,  as  if  they  were 
afraid  of  it  themselves.  It  worked  admirably  when  there 
was  nothing  in  it  except  a  small  quantity  of  sand  and  shot  ; 
and  then,  it  was  so  very  heavy;  surely  no  one  would  have 
made  anything  so  clumsy,  unless  for  certain  advantages  not 
possessed  by  a  simpler  construction.  But  the  name  was  still 
more  imposing,  and  was  evidently  the  cunning  device  of  one 
who  had  no  faith  in  Shakspeare.  "  The  patent  centrifugal 
gold-washer  and  California  chrj^solite,"  stamped  in  honest  iron 
letters  into  the  very  substance  of  the  machine  ;  could  any- 
thing be  more  satisfactory?  On  landing  at  San  Francisco, 
we  found  the  beach  strewed  with  similar  contrivances,  that 
we  could  have  bought  "  as  cheap  as  stinking  mackerel." 

We  had  expected  to  celebrate  the  4th  of  July  in  San 
Francisco  ;  but  the  day  came,  and  found  us  still  south  of 
the  equator.  Not  to  lose  entirely,  however,  the  benefit  of 
the  occasion,  we  determined  to  show  ourselves  as  patriotic 
and  as  indepeudaut  as  our  unfavourable  circumstances  would 
allow.  In  the  morning  there  was  the  usual  mihtary  parade, 
but  on  a  scale  of  unusual  magnificence.  Charley  Bainbridge 
arrayed  himself,  as  the  law  directs,  in  knapsack  and  cartouch 
box  ;  and  shouldering  a  rusty  musket,  marched  with  measured 
step  several  times  round  the  ship  ;  looking,  all  the  while, 
over  both  shoulders  to  see  the  admiring  crowd  that  followed 
at  his  heels. 

He  included  in  his  single  person  all  the  varied  pomp  of 
captain,  lieutenant,  private,  and  musicians  ;  his  whistling  was 
indeed  extraordinary,  and  only  to  be  surpassed  by  that  now 
classic  Ethiop  who  used  to  keep  a  barber's  pole,  so  it  was 


64  G  O  L  D  R  N     D  R  E  A  ^!  9 

said,  just  out  of  tlic  Bowery,  and  was  wont  to  entertain  his 
cu^toiiiers  by  wliistiing  two  tunes  at  once,  one  out  of  each 
corner  of  bis  nioutli. 

Like  the  Irishman  who  surrounded  his  enemy,  or  Kehama 
doing  battle  with  the  king  of  hell,  he  seemed  to  multiply 
himself  for  the  occasion.     He  walked 

Fovtli  without  more  train 
Accompanied  than  with  liis  own  conipleto 
Perfections ;  in  himself  was  all  his  state. 
More  solemn  than  the  tedious  pomp  that  waits 
On  princes,  when  their  rich  retinue  long, 
Of  horses  led,  and  grooms  besmeared  witli  gold, 
Dazzles  the  crowd,  and  sets  them  all  agape. 

"  He  carried  arms,  and  he  ju'csented  arms, — he  faced  to 
the  left,  he  faced  to  the  right,  and  he  faced  to  the  right- 
about ;"  "  he  wheeled  forward,  and  he  wheeled  backward, 
and  he  wheeled  into  echelon — he  marched  and  he  counter- 
marched, by  grand  divisions,  by  simple  divisions,  and  by  sub- 
divisions— by  platoons,  by  sections,  and  by  files — in  quick 
time,  in  slow  time,  and  in  no  time  at  all  ;  till  having  gone 
through  all  the  evolutions  of  two  great  armies,  including  the 
eighteen  manoeuvres  of  Dundas,"  and  charged  bayonets  with 
signal  success  upon  an  unlucky  dog  that  had  dared  to  bark 
at  him,  though  as  his  owner  alleged  in  excuse,  not  as  captain 
but  as  private,  he  dismissed  his  company,  and  we  all  sat 
down  to  dinner. 

By  clubbing  together  our  scanty  resources,  we  succeeded 
in  getting  up  quite  a  tolerable  rej^ast.  True,  our  meats  were 
something  old, — our  ])eas  and  green  corn  could  hardly  bo 
distinguished  from  each  other,  except  l^y  sight, — and  our 
patriotism,  too,  was  getting  a  little  musty  ;  but  our  wine 
was  sufficiently  new  to  make  amends,  and  we  were  none  of 
us  disposed  to  be  hypercritical.  Toasts  were  given  as  usual  ; 
but,  though  they  were  received  with  shouts  ofluughttr,  none, 
that  1  remember,  would  bear  repeating.     They  would .  suffer 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  65 

by  this  preserving  process  even  more  than  the  meats  and 
vegetables  that  accompanied  them.  Lewis,  who  had  not 
been  among  ns  long  enough  to  become  imbued  with  the 
prevailing  spirit  of  discontent,  offered,  for  his  sentiment,  a 
wish  that  we  might  all  find  ourselves,  on  the  succeeding 
anniversary,  again  assembled  on  board  the  Leucothea,  each 
one  with  his  pile.  This  toast  was  received  with  a  wonderful 
degree  of  coolness,  considering  the  final  clause  ;  but  not  even 
that  could  reconcile  us  to  the  idea  of  repeating  such  a 
voyage  in  such  an  ill-omened  craft — that  pill  required  more 
gilding  , 

But  alas  for  the  hopes  that  mocked  us  !  and  of  which  his 
words  were  but  a  feeble  exponent.  Just  in  proportion  to 
their  brilliancy,  was  their  vanity  ;  as  the  soap-bubble  becomes 
the  brighter  the  more  it  is  attenuated.  The  succeeding 
anniversary  came,  and  found  not  a  few  of  our  number  in  the 
grave  ;  while  a  still  larger  proportion,  wasted  by  toil  and 
sickness,  and  harassed  by  disappointment,  cursed  the  day 
that  they  had  ever  heard  of  California. 

In  the  evening  a  grand  shingarnee  was  held  on  the 
quarter-deck,  when  an  intellectual  repast  was  provided  of 
about  the  same  quality  as  our  dinner.  There  was  a  young 
fellow  among  the  steerage  passengers  who,  from  some  real  or 
fancied  resemblance  to  that  individual,  had  received  the  cog- 
nomen of  Smike,  though  "the  Artful  Dodger"  would  have 
been  perhaps  more  appropriate.  He  seemed  afraid  that 
some  one  was  about  to  lay  hold  of  him  from  behind,  and 
hence  kept  himself  in  constant  readiness  for  flight ;  so  that 
his  gait  became  the  debateable  ground  between  walking  and 
running,  where  one  ends,  and  the  other  has  not  yet  begun. 
This  gave  his  body  a  slight  inclination  forward  ;  and  the 
agreeable  slope  thus  produced,  found  a  fitting  termination 
in  the  short  skirts  of  his  fuzzy,  blue  roundabout,  that  pro- 
jected a  few  inches  from  his  person  as  if,  like  the  eaves  of  a 
house,  intended  to  shoot  off  the  rain.      The   beholder,   on 


06  G  O  L  D  E  N     D  K  r.  A  M  s 

seeing  this  jacket  for  the  first  time,  was  unavoidably  im- 
pressed with  the  belief  that  it  had  originally  started  with 
the  intention  of  reaching  the  knees,  but  havhig  been  stnnted 
in  its  growth,  had  stopped  short  half-way  between  that  point 
and  the  waist,  which  gave  the  wearer  somewhat  of  the 
appearance  of  a  rooster  who  has  shed  his  feathers,  and  is 
waiting  for  his  tail  to  regain  its  full  dimensions  before  he 
ventures  to  indulge  in  his  wonted  strut.  His  hat,  which  he 
wore  on  the  back  of  his  head  as  if  to  restore  his  centre  of 
gravity,  seemed  in  truth  ill-fitted  for  the  purpose,  both  rim 
and  crown  having  been  sadly  shorn  of  their  fair  proportions. 

All  Shakspeare's  seven  ages  were  huddled  togetlier  in  his 
face,  his  chin  being  the  seventh.  To  look  at  that  alone,  you 
would  affirm  he  was  a  hundred  years  old  ;  each  feature  led 
to  a  different  conclusion,  but  all  together  involved  the  ques- 
tion in  painful  uncertainty.  If  you  paid  to  his  nose  the 
reverence  due  to  old  age,  a  glance  at  his  mouth  made  you 
blush  with  indignation  at  having  wasted  your  courtesies  on 
a  boy  ;  but  if  his  month  tempted  you  to  ti"eat  him  as  an 
e(inal,  his  eyes  frowned  reproach  upon  such  unbecoming 
familiarity.  His  physiognomy  thus  became  a  perpetual  trap 
to  the  unwary,  as  it  was  an  enigma  that  defied  all  the  specu- 
lations of  the  curious. 

This  boy-Methuselah  was  the  first  performer,  and  his  part 
was  that  much  abused  monologue  of  Hamlet,  "To  be  or  not 
to  be."  He  took  his  station  on  the  quarter  deck,  with  the 
•^  mizen  mast  at  his  back  ;  and  the  spectators  stood,  or  sat,  or 
leaned,  wherever  they  could  find  support.  I  do  not  remem- 
ber whether  he  decided  to  be  or  not  to  be,  but  his  effort  was 
received  with  immense  approbation,  and  in  honour  of  this 
achievement,  he  was  henceforth  called  Hamlet,  in  addition  to 
his  other  titles. 

The  next  performer  was  a  very  Hercules  of  a  fellow,  who, 
if  he  had  been  cut  into  pieces,  would  have  made  three  of  his 
diminutive  rival.     He  had  formerly  been  an  actor,  and  it  was 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  67 

easv  to  see  that  he  must  have  gained  great  success.  He  bel- 
lowed, he  muttered,  he  whispered,  he  hissed, — he  stamped,  and 
the  hollow  deck  resounded  ;  he  spread  apart  his  Colossus-lilve 
legs,  and  raised  his  arms  as  if  to  hold  up  tlie  sky  ;  till  having 
run  through  all  those  parts  so  envied  by  Bully  Bottom,  he 
suddenly  broke  away  in  a  whirlwind  of  passion,  and  resumed 
his  place  among  the  admiring  spectators. 

During  the  remainder  of  the  month  little  occurred  worthy 
of  notice.  Our  water  again  failed,  and  we  were  once  more . 
put  on  an  allowance  of  only  three  pints  a  day,  and  two  of 
these  we  gave  the  steward  for  our  coffee.  The  beans  and  rice 
in  which  we  had  luxuriated  were  no  longer  seen  on  our  table, 
for  there  was  no  water  to  cook  them.  Once  a  week  we  were 
summoned  into  the  cabin  to  receive  our  hebdomedal  allowance 
of  butter.  On  the  steward's  table,  in  his  little  pantry,  were 
set  out,  in  tempting  array,  on  half  sheets  of  letter  paper,  some 
forty  pats  of  butter,  each  weighing  exactly  four  ounces,  and, 
like  the  candy  in  a  confectioner's  window,  exhibiting  all  the 
colours  of  the  rainbow.  Not  only  candy,  but  many  other 
articles,  are  all  the  more  pleasing  for  this  variety,  but  butter 
possesses  no  such  versatility  ;  here  yellow  is  your  only  colour  : 
blue,  and  green,  and  red,  though  elsewhere  highly  becoming, 
should  be  rigidly  excluded.  Yet  I  remember  hearing  the 
stewai'd  trying  to  convince  one  young  fallow,  who  rather  de- 
murred about  taking  the  fortieth  and  sole  remaining  pat,  as 
being  more  curiously  coloured  than  the  rest,  that  it  was 
nothing  more  than  natural,  since  streaked  and  speckled  cows 
always  gave  butter  of  the  same  pattern. 


68  G  O  L  D  EN     D  R  E  A  M  8 


CHAPTER  VII. 

ON  the  morning  of  the  13th  of  August  a  sail  was  discovered 
ill  the  horizon.  She  rapidly  overhauled  us,  and  when 
sufficiently  near,  a  boat  was  sent  to  obtain,  if  possible,  a  sup- 
ply of  water,  our  own  being  now  nearly  exhausted.  The  boat 
returned  after  several  hours,  bringing  a  cask  of  water  and  a 
number  of  papers  from  Valparaiso,  from  which  we  gleaned  a 
variety  of  interesting  items.  Tlie  Helena  left  home  a  month 
later  than  we,  but  though  their  voyage  had  been  thus  com- 
paratively short,  her  passengers  were  no  better  contented  than 
our  own.  They  had  just  eaten  their  last  pickled  salmon  ;  and 
the  mackerel,  fresh  beef,  and  potatoes,  which  still  remained 
to  them,  could  not  efface  from  their  tender  stomachs  the 
recollection  of  their  recent  bereavement. 

In  view  of  this  afflictive  dispensation  liow  unreasonable 
now  seemed  our  own  ungrateful  discontent.  Henceforth,  if 
any  one  grumbled,  as  some  are  sure  to  do  under  the  most 
favourable  conditions,  because  our  water  looked  like  soapsuds, 
or  because  we  were  forced  to  dine  seven  days  in  the  week  on 
salt  beef  and  pork,  he  was  sure  to  be  cut  short  with,  "  Why  !! 
they  are  out  of  pickled  salmon  on  board  tlie  Helena  I"  and 
unless  he  were  a  peculiarly  obstinate  and  hardened  offender, 
this  rebuke  did  not  need  to  be  repeated. 

The  next  morning  the  Helena  was  out  of  sight,  while,  far 
to  leeward  appeared  another  sail  driving  hard  after  us  towards 
the  same  centre  of  attraction.  We  had  now  been  more  than 
six  months  at  sea,  and  every  day  increased  our  feverish  impa- 


AND     L  E  A  D  K  N     REALITIES.  69 

tieiice  to  be  at  t;ie  end  of  our  voyage.  Every  change  of 
wind  was  watched  with  intense  anxiety,  and  "How's  she 
head  ?"  was  asked,  at  least,  five  hundred  times  a  day.  But 
there  was  no  Ijurryiug  the  Leucothea  ;  one  ship  was  passing  us 
after  another,  but  she  would  choose  her  own  time,  and  gang 
her  ain  gait.  We  seemed  like  one  oppressed  by  a  hideous 
nightmare,  who  tries  to  escape  from  some  threatening  danger, 
but  can  hardly  move  a  limb.  With  some,  this  impatience 
finally  gave  way  to  settled  apathy  ;  they  had  been  at  sea  so 
long,  they  did'nt  care  whether  they  ever  saw  laud  again  or 
not  ; — they  would'nt  take  the  trouble  to  look  at  the  compass, 
or  even  to  ask  '"  how's  she  head  ;''  to  all  such  matters  they  were 
profoundly  indifferent.  The  weather  sympathized  with  this 
class  rather  than  the  other  ;  not  that  it  was  indifferent,  but 
it  was  sullen,  sombre,  and  peculiarly  disagreeable,  far  colder 
than  in  the  same  latitudes  in  the  Atlantic,  and  inconstant  as 
man,  or  woman  either. 

August  22d  we  spoke  the  Meranon,  one  hundred  and  fifteen 
days  from  New  York,  and  asked  for  a  supply  of  water.  While 
they  were  getting  it  out  of  the  hold,  her  main  and  mizzen  top- 
sails were  hove  aback,  and  she  lay  almost  motionless  on  the 
water,  yet  apparently  trembling  with  suppressed  eagerness. 
She  was  by  far  the  finest  ship  we  had  seen — a  clipper  of  a 
thousand  tons  ; — her  tall  rakish  masts  were  crowded  with 
canvass,  and  her  long,  low  hull,  beneath  its  rounded  softness 
of  outline,  seemed,  like  the  "  velvet  grace"  of  a  tiger,  to  prom- 
ise muscles  of  prodigious  flexibility  and  power.  I  could  not 
help  feeling  a  sensation  something  like  pity,  when  I  heard  of 
her  loss  several  years  after  somewhere  on  the  coast  of  Africa. 
The  cask  of  water  being  now  lowered  over  her  side,  the  Mem- 
non  filled  her  topsails,  and  went  off  like  a  racehorse,  as  docile 
and  highspirited  ;  and  the  Leucothea  went  tumbling  after. 

Sunday,  the  26th,  was  a  day  of  various  excitement.  Long 
lines  of  pelicans  sailed  slowly  over  head,  or  dropped,  with  a 
sudden  plash,  into  the  water  ; — herds  of  fin-backs  heaved  up 


70  G  O  L  D  EX     D  n  E  A  M  3 

their  liuge  bulk  oa  every  side,  affording  us  a  better  view  of 
their  vast  proportions  than  we  had  obtained  during  our  whole 
voyage  ;  and  several  times  we  heard  them  bellow,  a  sure  sign, 
according  to  our  old  wlialcrs,  that  they  were  aware  of  our 
presence.  By  our  reckoning,  land  could  not  be  far  distant  ; 
we  could  even  hear  the  trampling  of  the  surf  upon  the  shore, 
and  cannon  iired,  as  we  conjectured,  from  the  port  ; — Ijut  a 
dense  fog  shrouded  every  thing  from  sight.  A  bottle  of  wine 
was  promised  to  the  first  discoverer,  but  there  was  no  need 
of  any  such  inducement, — men  were  already  at  the  masthead 
trying  to  get  above  the  fog,  and  others  had  rowed  off  some 
distance  in  a  boat,  in  hopes  of  seeing  tlu'ough  or  under  it. 

We  were  at  dinner  when  the  startling  sound  of  "  Land,  ho  1" 
was  heard  through  the  cabin  skylight.  Going  hastily  on 
deck,  I  turned  my  eyes  to  the  larboard  bow,  and  saw,  under 
the  partially  lifted  fog,  cliffs  towering  apparently  higher  than 
Mt.  Washington.  The  next  moment,  however,  I  perceived 
my  error  ;  instead  of  being,  as  I  supposed,  ten  or  fifteen  miles 
off,  they  were  not  more  than  four  ;  and,  as  I  made  the  dis- 
covery, they  suddenly  shrank  down  to  their  proper  altitude  of 
only  a  few  hundred  feet.  No  one  in  the  ship  was  familiar 
with  the  entrance  to  tlu;  bay  ;  and  as  by  reckoning  we  were 
some  distance  to  the  north,  the  ship  was  put  on  the  other  tack, 
and  soon,  to  our  infinite  chagrin,  laud  agam  faded  from  view. 

Late  in  the  afternoon,  a  sail  appeared  astern,  when  our 
mizzen  topsails  were  liove  aback,  and  we  waited  for  her  to  come 
up  in  hopes  of  obtaining  the  necessary  information.  As  she 
toiled  sluggishly  on,  she  seemed  alive  with  men  ;  they  swarmed 
black  as  ants  out  on  the  bowsprit — they  clustered  like  bees  in 
the  rigging, — while  the  matted  heads  that  looked  at  us  over 
the  bulwarks,  seemed  almost  as  thick  as  a  pile  of  cocoa-nuts. 

Every  ship  that  we  had  thus  far  spoken  seemed  to  have 
its  own  peculiar  character.  The  Memnon  was  a  decided 
aristocrat,  with,  no  doubt,  noble  blood  in  her  veins, — the 
Sweden  was  an  honest,  hard-working,  mechanic, — the  Loo 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  71 

Choo,  a  swelling  coxcomb,  and  the  Helena  a  substantial 
tradesman.  The  character  of  the  Humboldt,  our  new  acqaint- 
ance,  wa,s  equally  unraistakeable.  She  was  an  out-and-out 
vagrant,  a  beggar  bora  and  bred,  with  an  hereditary  taint 
of  mendicity  that  all  great  Xeptune's  ocean  could  not  wash 
out,  and  all  the  perfumes  of  Arabia  could  not  sweeten.  She 
was  ninety-eight  days  from  Panama,  having  left  that  port 
about  th.e  time  we  passed  Cape  Horn,  so  that  we  had  gained 
oa  her  the  whole  length  of  South  America.  She  had  on 
boai'd  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  passengers,  and  a  more 
squalid  set  of  vrretches  are  seldom  seen  in  so  small  a  compass. 
When  we  exchanged  the  customary  salute,  they  sent  up  a 
shout  that  fairly  drowned  our  feeble  cry  ;  it  seemed  as  if  a 
voice  had  come  from  every  plank  and  timber  in  the  ship. 

As  the  captain  of  the  Humboldt  was  equally  at  a  loss  with 
our  own,  we  held  slowly  on  our  way,  and  Monday  morning 
again  came  in  sight  of  land,  which  many  asserted  to  be  the 
same  we  bad  seen  the  day  before.  Standing  further  on,  we 
passed  lofty  bluffs  against  which  the  sea  roared  like  distant 
thunder.  They  were  succeeded  by  a  long  table-land  termin- 
ating in  a  point  white  with  foam,  the  whole  agreeing  with 
tolei'able  accuracy,  with  the  chart.  While  we  were  at  supper, 
the  water  suddenly  shoaled  to  four  and  a  half  fathoms  ;  and 
huge  rollers  lifting  the  ship  like  a  feather,  filled  all  with 
instant  apprehension  lest  she  should  be  dashed  the  next 
moment  on  the  sands.  There  was  a  sudden  bustle  and 
trampling  over  head,  and  in  a  twinkling  our  table  was 
deserted.  The  helm  was  jammed  hard  down,  and  we  once 
more  stood  out  to  sea. 

When  we  had  got  to  a  safe  distance,  and  had  time  to  think 
a  little,  it  was  concluded  that  the  cause  of  alarm  was  after  all 
nothing  liut  the  bar  at  the  mouth  of  the  harbour,  and  that  if 
we  had  kept  boldly  oa,  we  should  have  been  by  that  time 
quietly  at  anchor  opposite  the  city.  It  was  too  foggy,  how- 
ever, to  repeat  the   experiment  that   day,  and   there   waa 


72  GoLDEx   Dreams 

nothing   better  to   do  than   to  come   to   anchor  where  we 
were. 

Tuesday  was  also  very  foggy  ;  a  boat  was  sent  out  on  an 
exploring  expedition,  and  a  gun  fired  at  intervals  in  hopes  of 
receiving  an  answering  signal.  After  a  long  absence  the 
boat  returned  with  the  information  that  we  were  really  off 
the  bay  ;  and  at  the  same  time  a  small  brig  with  a  long 
Moorish  name,  coming  up  on  our  quarter,  gave  us  directions 
how  to  steer.  After  waiting  several  hours  longer  for  the 
turn  of  the  tide,  which  here  runs  with  extraordinary  rapidity, 
we  hauled  up  the  anchor,  and  with  a  fair  wind  and  clear  sky, 
slid  rapidly  into  the  bay,  and  round  the  point  that  forms  the 
harbour  of  San  Francisco.  One  ship,  and  then  another,  and 
another,  till  we  could  count  no  further  ;  chafing  there  idle 
and  forgotten,  like  a  horse  tied  to  the  paling,  while  his  master 
courts  away  the  flying  hours  within.  Dodging  skilfully  in 
among  them,  our  sails  were  lowered  one  by  one  ;  the  anchor 
was  soon  imbedded  in  the  lazy  mud,  and  the  Lencothea, 
wearily  swinging  round  to  her  moorings,  at  length  rested  from 
her  long  travel  of  two  hundred  days. 


AND   Leaden   Realities.  73 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

As  it  was  sunset  when  we  came  to  anchor,  we  deferred  our 
landing  till  the  next  morning  ;  but  one  of  the  owners 
coming  on  board  brought  a  large  budget  of  letters,  among 
which  there  were  several  for  our  party.  Having  devoured 
them  with  that  intensity  of  interest  that  can  be  understood 
only  by  those  who  have  been  in  similar  circumstances,  we  laid 
them  aside  for  a  more  careful  perusal,  and  gathering  round 
the  two  or  three  old  settlers  who  had  come  from  the  shore, 
listened  with  breathless  attention,  the  careless,  genteel  in- 
difference with  which  they  talked  of  hundreds,  of  thousands, 
and  of  millions,  affecting  the  imagination  far  more  than  the 
wildest  excitement.  As  the  old  man  says  in  the  play,  there  is 
a  positive  pleasure  in  simply  talking  of  such  big  numbers  ; 
they  fill  the  mind  with  such  grand  and  noble  ideas. 

The  next  day  boats  came  from  the  shore  in  hopes  of  obtain- 
ing passengers. 

"  How  much  do  you  charge  ?''  cried  Captain  Bill,  looking 
suspiciously  down  upon  the  boatman. 

"  Only  one  dollar  !''  he  replied,  and  in  a  tone  that  seemed 
to  say  that  the  rates  of  fare  had  recently  fallen  ;  but  our 
minds  had  not  yet  sufficiently  expanded  to  receive  this  infor- 
mation with  the  gratitude  it  deserved.  We  looked  admir- 
ingly upon  the  sturdy  knave  who  dared  to  speak  thus  disres- 
pectfully of  the  almighty  dollar,  but  preferred  to  wait  till  we 
could  obtain  a  passage  in  one  of  the  boats  belonging  to  the 
ship.  An  opportunity  soon  oflfered  ;  and  in  a  few  minutes  wc 
4 


74  G  O  L  D  E  N     D  K  K  A  M  S 

were  gliding  across  the  bows  of  the  vessels  that  lay  in  denser 
phalanx  near  the  wharf.  On  the  high  yellow  bank  stood 
groups  of  men  ragged  and  miserable.  They  leered  upon  us, 
as  we  passed,  as  much  as  to  say,  "Now  then,  here  you  are  ! 
Ijut  wait  awhile  my  hearties,  till  you've  been  here  long  enough 
to  find  out  a  thing  or  two  ;  and  then, — " 

Tills,  however,  was  only  a  subsequent  interpretation  ;  at 
the  time,  I  had  no  doubt  that  everybody  had  his  pockets 
stuffed  with  gold,  and,  like  enough,  a  heavy  belt  around  his 
waist  filled  with  the  same  precious  metal  ;  and  the  rags  and 
tatters  that  flaunted  so  boldly  seemed  rather  to  confirm  this 
gratifying  supposition. 

Strolling,  yet  that  is  not  the  word,  buzzing  a  few  hours 
through  the  city  was  enougli  to  fill  us  brim  full  of  excitement 
To  repeat  the  figure  already  employed,  we  had  descended 
farther  aud  farther  into  this  worldwide  maelstroom,  and  seem- 
ed now  each^moment  about  to  plunge  into  the  vortex.  Round 
and  round,  faster  anil  faster,  s})un  the  dizzy  tide  ;  sure  such 
a  devil's  dance  was  never  danced  before. 

Everything  was  on  a  monstrous  and  perverted  scale.  The 
apparent  simplicity  of  the  means  employed  was  ridiculous 
compared  to  the  sublime  result.  It  seemed  impossible  that  a 
wealth  greater  than  the  Indies  should  flow  through  such  a 
narrow  channel  ; — that  such  prodigious  power  should  be  con- 
fined in  the  one  story,  wood  and  canvass  houses  of  that  awk- 
ward shambling  city.  It  was  as  marvellous  almost,  and 
incredible,  as  that  the  genie  of  the  Arabian  tale  should  have 
shrunk  his  steeple  bulk  into  the  little  copper  vessel, — or  that 
the  more  modern  genie  of  steam,  which  the  other  so  well 
symbolized,  should  sufi"er  himself  to  be  penned  in  any  other 
than  walls  of  iron  and  brass.  Piles  of  merchandize  of  every 
description,  bags,  barrels,  boxes,  and  bundles,  filled  the  stores 
to  suffocation,  and  ran  over  into  the  street.  Fat  gouty 
mittens,  bursting  with  gold  dust, — the  thumb  alone  stitf  with 
a  hundred  dollars, — turned  up  their  round  yellow  bellies  on 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  75 

the  rude  counters,  like  a  frog  in  the  last  stages  of  the  dropsy; 
while  bars  and  lumps  of  still  more  seductive  unity  nestled  on 
the  ■window  seat,  or  leaned  poker-and-shovel-wise  against  the 
corners.  Pounds  and  ounces  took  the  place  of  dollars  and 
cents, — the  appearance  of  one  of  the  latter  was  sure  to  provoke 
a  laugh,  but  the  dollar,  though  a  decided  parvenu,  was  gradu- 
ally working  his  way  into  good  society.  The  time  had  past 
when  a  pinch  of  gold  dust  was  the  lowest  standard  of  value, 
and  when,  for  want  of  silver,  the  nobler  metal  was  forced  to 
perform  the  most  menial  offices  of  trade. 

Among  all  this,  in  the  midst  of  all  these  symbols  of  wealth 
and  power,  the  miner  who  had  called  them  into  being,  moved 
about  with  an  air  of  sturdy  independence,  which  received  a 
fresh  accession  every  time  he  squeezed,  between  his  thumb 
and  fingers,  the  buckskin  bag  in  his  breeches'  pocket.  Little 
groups  assembled  at  the  corners,  and  in  the  principal  stores, 
each  one  striving  to  surpass  the  last  speaker  in  his  stories  of 
big  lumps, — of  holes  that  paid  five  or  ten  dollars  a  bucket, — 
and  of  pockets  that  made  the  lucky  finder  rich  in  a  single 
hour. 

There  was  something  very  attractive  in  this  use  of  the 
word  pocket.  There  was  an  appropriateness,  an  harmony 
about  the  idea  that  imposed  upon  the  understanding.  There 
was  such  a  thing,  to  be  sure,  as  an  empty  pocket, — but  the 
old  grandam  earth  had  lived  a  great  many  years, — she  had 
always  been  a  saving  sort  of  a  body,  and  must  have  hoarded 
up  quite  a  handsome  pennyworth  ;  it  would  certainly  be  a  fine 
thing  to  have  the  ransacking  of  her  chinks  and  crannies. 

But  the  gambling-houses  presented  scenes  of  yet  fiercer 
excitement.  The  finest  buildings  in  the  city  were  devoted  to 
this  purpose.  Wide  doors,  standing  constantly  open,  ad- 
mitted the  visitor  at  once  into  spacious  apartments,  where, 
for  every  hour  in  the  twenty-four,  except  a  sliort  interval  in 
the  morning  twilight,  were  heard  the  chink  of  gold  and  silver, 
and  the  confused  hum  of  voices.     There  is  no  employmeut  so 


76  G  O  L  D  E  N     D  R  E  A  M  S 

thirsty  as  c:amblin<r  ;  and  the  large  and  splendidly  appointed 
])ar  was  the  most  striking  feature  in  these  establishments. 
Ilere  tho  fevcr-and-aguish  gamester  sought  by  one  flte  to  put 
out  another  ;  one  drank  because  he  was  hot,  anotlier  because 
he  was  cold, — this  one  because  ho  was  losing,  that  because  he 
had  gained. 

A  curious  crowd  of  si->ectators  circled  among  the  little 
tables,  watching,  with  an  interest  second  only  to  that  of  the 
principal  performers,  the  movements  of  the  game  ;  or  gazing 
boldly,  or  with  modest  obliquity  of  vision,  upon  the  lascivious 
pictures  that  hung  on  the  walls.  Little  boys  of  ten  or  twelve 
called  imperiously  for  brandy  smashes,  and  staked  their  all 
on  the  turn  of  a  card,  or  the  rolling  of  a  ball  with  hideous 
nonchalance  ;  while  the  next  moment  oaths  as  big  as  cannon 
l)alls  rolled  from  their  hard  lips  to  testify  their  impish  malice 
or  exultation.  The  simple  novice  from  some  Xew  England 
village,  who  has  never  before  been  farther  from  home  than  the 
ncai'est  town,  proud  of  his  first  Ijeard,  and  champing  the  ends 
of  his  moustache  between  his  lips,  sidles  timidly  up  to  the  bar, 
and  calls  in  a  low  voice  for  a  glass  of  lemonade. 

"  Yes,"  cries  his  Mephistopheles,  w^ith  a  patronizing  laugh, 
"and  put  a  stick  in  it." 

"  "Well,"  he  I'eplies,  laughing  in  his  turn,  but  more  feebly 
than  the  other,  "  I  guess  I  will  have  a  stick  in  it." 

Delighted  with  the  puzzling  novelty  of  the  phrase,  that, 
without  seeming  to  mean  anything,  means  so  much,  he  soon 
repeats  the  experiment,  partly  to  show  he  is  not  afraid,  and 
parily  from  an  indescriljable,  often  unconscious  pleasure  of 
doing  what  he  would  hardly  have  dared  even  to  think  of  at 
home.  He  thinks  of  his  mother  and  sisters  and  aunt  ifary,  and 
wonders  what  they  would  say,  if  they  saw  him  in  such  com- 
pany and  drinking  brandy,  at  a  l)ar  !  and  in  a  gambling 
house  besides  !  !  The  idea  of  their  horror  and  incredulous 
wo!idi.'r  is  rather  pleasing  to  h.is  selfish  vanity  ;  one  is  very  apt 
to  be  vain  of  such  loving  tender  pity.     lie  has  learned  to  put 


AN'D    Leaden    Realities.  77 

a  stick  in  it ;  well  for  him  if  lie  does  not  ere  long  put  in  his 
whole  foot. 

After  several  hours  thus  spent  in  wandering  from  one 
centre  of  attraction  to  another,  we  returned  to  the  ship,  weary 
of  excitement,  and  hoping  to  find  there  at  least  one  place  free 
from  the  general  infection.  On  reaching  the  deck,  however, 
a  hubbub  of  voices  assailed  our  eai's  in  which  every  other 
word  seemed  to  be  diggius,  holes,  lumps,  pockets,  &c.,  &c. 
Other  parties  had  been  like  ours  wandering  tiirough  the  city; 
each  had  brought  on  board  its  own  budget  of  news,  and  now 
poured  them  out  before  us  in  bewildering  confusion. 

One  had  a  long  story  to  tell  of  a  lump  found  in  the  south- 
ern mines.  The  man  wlio  told  him  knew  the  man  who  saw 
the  lucky  fellow  that  found  it.  Most  of  these  stories  were  in 
this  respect,  too  much  like  the  final  clause  of  the  story  of  the 
house  that  Jack  built. 

Others  were  more  interested  in  the  price  current  of  differ- 
eut  articles.  Saleratus  was  eight  dollars  a  pound,  and  eveiy- 
body  wondered  he  had  not  brought  a  few  barrels  ;  it  would 
have  been  the  easiest  thing  in  the  world,  and  would  have 
made  his  fortune  at  once.  Salt,  on  the  other  hand,  which  we 
had  all  taken  care  to  bring  with  us,  was  worth  nothing.  On 
hearing  this,  Charley  Bainbridge  "liastily  descended  into  the 
cal)iu,  and  presently  returning  with  a  bag  containing  some 
twenty  or  thirty  pounds,  plunged  his  knife  into  its  belly,  and 
triumphantly  emptied  the  salt  into  the  sea. 

"  What  are  you  doing  there  ?"  cried  Busby,  avIio  had  just 
come  aboard. 

"  Only  throwing  overboard  some  salt,"  returned  Charley, 
witli  a  chuckle,  as  if  he  had  been  performing  some  very  bril- 
liant action. 

"  Why,"  replied  Busby,  staring  very  hard  as  if  he  did  not 
exactly  see  the  humour  of  the  thing  ;  "  you  might  have  given 
it  away  if  you  didn't  know  what  else  to  do  with  it." 

"  Oh,"  said  Charley,  "-'taint  worth  anything." 


78  Gold  k  n    D  k  k  a  m  s 

"  Ain't  worth  anything  !"  retorted  the  other  indignantly  ; 
"  its  worth  twenty-five  cents  a  pound,  and  I  call  that  some- 
thing." 

This  turned  out  to  be  the  fact ;  and  Charley  never  heard 
the  last  of  this  adventure,  though  he  said  he  didn't  care,  the 
fun  was  worth  the  money  any  day. 

Every  one  vented  his  delirium  in  his  own  fashion.  Dan 
Carpenter,  who  was  one  of  the  worst  affected,  clasped  his 
hands  on  tlie  top  of  his  head  as  if  afraid  it  should  fly  away 
like  a  balloon  ;  but  in  spite  of  this  precaution  he  was  raised 
bodily  from  the  deck,  and  danced  up  and  down  for  the  space 
of  half  au  hour,  striking  his  heels  three  times  against  each 
other  at  every  spring  ;  when  thoroughly  exhausted  he  was 
dropt  with  such  violence  into  a  campstool,  that  it  gave  way, 
and  let  him  treacherously  down  on  to  his  back  ;  whereupon 
Captain  Bill  advised  him  to  keep  steady,  and  haul  in  his 
jib-sheets  ;  and  every  one  gave  him  a  word  of  counsel  and 
exhortation. 

Such  being  the  food  of  our  waking  imagination,  it  is  easy 
to  see  what  stuff  our  dreams  were  made  of.  All  day  long  we 
talked  and  thought  of  nothing  but  gold. 

And'  then,  in  dreaming, 
The  clouds,  wc  tliotiijlit,  would  open,  and  show  ricljes 
Keady  to  drop  upon  us  ;  that  when  wc  waked. 
We  cried  to  dream  again. 

The  mines  were  now  all  before  us  where  to  choose  ;  but 
there  was  no  visit )le  Providence  for  our  guide  ;  and  among  so 
many  conO'cting  reports,  it  was  difficult  to  arrive  at  any  fixed 
conclusion.  Tiie  southern  mines  abounded  more  in  lumps  and 
rich  deposits,  but  the  gold  was  distributed  more  equally  in  the 
northern,  and  the  labourer  was  accordingly  more  certain  of 
his  reward.  In  each  of  these  grand  divisions  there  was  an 
endless  variety  of  creeks  and  rivers,  every  one  of  which  had 
its  advocates,  who  set  forth  its  advantages  to  the  best  of  their 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  79 

ability,  till  the  new  comer,  weary  of  weighing  these  opposing 
probabilities,  often  rested  his  decision  upon  the  most  trifling 
coincidence.  Twenty  dollars  a  day  was  said  to  be  the  average 
earned  by  the  miners,  but  each  man's  hope  told  him  a  far 
more  flattering  tale. 

Under  these  circumstances  it  may  seem  unaccountable  that 
we  should  have  waited  nearly  two  weeks  at  San  Francisco  for 
our  provisions  to  be  unloaded,  when,  if  our  calculations  were 
well  grounded,  we  lost  so  much  by  the  delay.  The  hope  that 
every  day  would  be  the  If.st,  and  the  difficulty  of  unlearning 
all  at  once,  that  system  of  pennywise  economy  in  which  we 
had  been  educated,  are  the  only  explanation  of  this  anything 
but  a  masterly  inactivity 

In  the  mean  time,  through  the  agency  of  Captain  Bill, 
whose  good  luck  was  signally  manifest  on  this  occasion,  we 
made  the  acquaintance  of  a  Mr.  'Primrose,  said  by  some  to 
be  the  most  scientific  miner  in  California.  To  a  digger  of 
any  experience,  the  word  scientific  v.'ould  have  indicated 
nothing  but  the  most  besotted  ignorance  ;  but,  to  our  Old- 
World  notions,  it  sounded  grand  and  imposing. 

This  scientific  miner  had  a  machine, — a  scientific  machine, 
— a  machine  such  as  is  used  in  the  gold  mines  of  Virginia, 
and  must  of  course  be  equally  well  adapted  to  this  new  terri- 
tory. The  machines  had  not  yet  arrived  ;  but  the  scientific 
miner  assured  us  tliat  the  vessel  in  which  they  had  been 
shipped  had  sailed  months  before,  and  was  now  expected 
every  day.  In  the  meantime  he  would  be  happy  to  show  us 
a  drawing,  from  which  we  could  form  a  tolerable  id?a  of  the 
mode  cf  operation.  We  accordingly  examined  the  drawing 
with  great  attention  ;  we  turned  it  upside  down, — we  looked 
at  it  straightforward  and  obliquely, — we  looked  at  it  with 
both  eyes,  and  squinted  at  it  after  the  most  approved  fashion 
with  only  one, — and  finally  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it 
resembled  nothing  so  much  as  a  patent  beehive,  and  of  course 
must  be  a  very  scientific  machine  indeed. 


80  G  O  L  I)  E  N     D  K  E  A  M  3 

"  But  will  it  work  'r'  we  asked  the  scientific  miner. 

The  scientific  miner,  wiio  was  b}'  the  way  a  tall  and  rathei 
comely  personage,  in  a  white  neck-cloth,  something  between 
a  clergyman  and  a  broker,  made  no  immediate  reply,  but 
taking  from  a  table  several  hemispherical  cakes  of  gold,  look- 
ing like  so  many  cakes  of  beeswax,  and  thereby  confirming 
our  notion  of  the  patent  beehive,  placed  them  in  our  hands 
with  a  bland  smile,  and  asked  if  that  would  do. 

"  Certainly,''  we  replied,  "that  would  do  very  well,  if  we 
could  do  it  often  enough." 

"  AYhat  do  you  say  to  once  a  week  ?"  inquired  the  scien- 
tific miner. 

Captain  Bill  looked  at  me,  and  I  looked  at  Captain  Bill, 
with  a  smile,  half  of  satisfaction,  half  of  incredulity,  but 
made  no  answer. 

The  scientific  miner  noticed  this  telegraphic  communica- 
tion, and  went  on  with  mathematical  gravity  and  precision. 

"  This  gold,"  said  he,  "  was  washed  out  in  a  single  week 
by  one  of  these  machines  now  in  operation  at  Mormon  Isiand; 
and  that,  too,  from  earth  that  had  already  ijeen  through  the 
common  rocker.  With  one  of  these  machines  you  can  make 
a  thousand  dollars  a  week  from  almost  any  earth  in  California, 
and  ton  thousand  under  favourable  circumstances." 

Having  paused  a  moment,  as  if  to  enable  ns  to  digest  these 
assertions,  the  scientific  miner  went  on  in  a  pleasant  and  con- 
fidential manner  that  Avas  very  encouraging. 

"  You  know  how  it  is,"  said  he  ;  "  most  that  come  to  this 
country  are  ignorant  mechanics  and  labourers,  that  are  not 
fit  to  be  trusted  with  such  things  ;  but  with  such  energy  and 
intelligence  as  you  possess,  you  cannot  help  being  successful." 

At  this,  we  both  looked  as  intelligent  as  we  possibly  could; 
and  Captain  Bill,  gazing  respectfully,  almost  fearfully,  at  the 
drawing,  asked  the  &cientific  miner  how  many  men  were 
required  to  work  the  machine  ;  to  which  he  replied  that  four 
could  work  it  when  everything  was  handy,  but  five  or  oven  six 


AXD    Leaden    Realities.  81 

luig-ht  f^oraetiraes  be  necessary.  The  price  was  oue  thousand 
dollars,  on  which  a  short  credit  would  be  allowed  ;  but  as 
only  three  hundred  machines  were  expected  in  the  first  vessel, 
it  would  be  necessary  to  decide  without  any  great  delay. 
Most  of  these  were  already  engaged,  but  he  thought  he  could 
manage  to  reserve  one  for  us. 

As  soon  as  we  got  into  the  open  air  our  enthusiasm,  which 
we  had  prudently  restrained  in  presence  of  the  scientific  miner, 
at  once  burst  forth. 

"  Keep  cool,  boys,  keep  cool,"  cried  Captain  Bill,  slapping 
his  thigh,  as  his  manner  was,  his  broad,  good-humoured  face 
shining  like  a  pewter  platter,  '"steady  your  helm  and  haul  iii 
your  jib-sheets." 

"  Look  here.  Bill !"  I  began,  with  a  look  intended  to 
repress  all  such  unseasonable  mirth,  "  I'll  tell  you  what  we'll 
do.  A  thousand  dollars  is  a  good  deal,  I  know,  to  give  for 
a  machine  ;  but  what  of  that  ?  we  can  pay  for  it  in  a  week, 
and  all  we  make  after  that  will  be  clear  profit." 

"  Si,"  said  Captain  Bill. 

"  Well,  then,  if  we  find  it  work,  you  know,  we'll  just  send 
down  and  order  three  more,  one  for  each  of  us  ;  and  then,  all 
we'll  have  to  do  will  be  to  oversee  the  workmen,  and  attend 
to  the  amalgamating  process." 

"  Si, — si, — si,"  said  Captain  Bill,  once  to  each  of  the  three 
rockers,  but  slowly,  and  at  long  intervals,  as  the  magnificence 
of  the  idea  gradually  insinuated  itself  into  his  mind,  like  a 
boa-constrictor  gorging  a  buff'alo ;  and  he  already  saw  himself 
sitting  lordly  on  a  stone,  engaged  in  the  agreeable  occupation 
of  reckoning  his  gains,  and  keeping  a  sharp  lookout  ou  the 
poor  fellows  that  were  toiling  for  him  at  their  miserable 
pittance  of  eight  dollars  a  day,  simply  because  they  hadn't  a 
scientific  machine  too;  "  but  I  say;  this  is  one  of  the  machines 
you  read  of,  isn't  it." 

"  Taking  the  very  lowest  calculation,"  I  continued,  striving 
to  quench  his  fervour  by  my  cool,  business-like  manner,  "  that 
4* 


^1  G  O  1, 1)  K  N      J  )  R  K  A  M  5 

'iil  1)0  a  thousand  dollars  apiece  a  Aveek  ;  or  wc  may  as  well 
make  it  tuelve  hundred  while  wc  arc  about  it,  so  as  to  cover 
all  expenses  ;  and,  at  that  rate,  I  think  I  could  be  content  to 
stay  in  the  mines  a  year." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  cried  the  Captain,  now  at  last  driA'cn  to  the 
use  of  his  own  vernacular,  "so  could  1." 

"  But,"  said  I,  with  inexorable  coolness,  "  we  must  be 
cautious — very  cautious.  It  won't  do  to  be  in  too  much  of  a 
hurry.  We'll  wait  and  see  the  machine  at  Mormon  Island, 
and  then  we  shall  know  what  we  know."' 

"  Mr.  Primrose  seems  a  very  clever  sort  of  a  man,"  re- 
turned Bill, ''  but,  after  all,  it's  the  lumps  that  docs  the 
business." 

Niunber  Four  had  already  lieen  to  sec  tlie  scientific  miner, 
but  neither  he  nor  Tertium  were  aware  of  tlie  extent  of  their 
good  fortune  ;  and  now  Captain  Bill  taking  them,  as  was  his 
wont,  mysteriously  aside,  undertook  to  enlighten  them.  He 
led  them  along  softly,  step  by  step,  touching  briefly  on  the 
machine,  the  chief  merit  of  which  was  that  we  knew  so  little 
about  it, — descanting  at  some  length  on  the  honesty  and 
uprightness  of  the  scientific  miner,  of  which  we  knew  still  less, 
— coming  down  with  ever-increasing  emphasis  on  the  lumps, 
— and  finally,  seeing  them  now  prepared  to  receive  it,  winding 
up  with  a  grand  flourish  on  the  twelve  liundred  a  week. 

The  others  listened  attentively,  but  Tertium,  who  was 
always  a  horrible  fellow  for  doubting,  was  still  incredulous. 

"Take  liim  to  see  the  lumps,"  I  sifggested,  somewhat 
indignantly,  for  I  must  confess  I  felt  hurt  at  his  want  of 
scientific  ardour,  "for,  as  you  say,  it  is  the  lumps  that  does 
the  business." 

And  indeed  there  was  no  getting  over  the  lumps, — they 
were  most  weighty  arguments,  stubborn  facts,  addressing 
themselves  to  sight  and  touch  with  a  silent  eloquence  no 
words  could  equal.  Tertium  saw  them,  and  hesitated  ;  he 
lifted   them,  and  was  convinced.     Still,  we  determined  to 


AND   Leaden    Realities.  83 

proceed  \vlth  the  utmost  caution  ;  and,  for  my  part,  I  believe 
I  derived  almost  as  much  satisfaction  from  the  contemplation 
of  my  own  superior  wisdom,  as  from  gloating  over  tlie  fifty 
thousand  that  only  waited  my  arrival  to  fall  into  my  hands. 
We  were  careful  to  say  nothing  of  our  discovery  to  our  less 
fortunate  companions,  for  fear  they  should  go  at  once  and  buy 
up  every  one  of  the  thousand  machines,  leaving  us,  when  too 
late,  to  lament  our  foolish  procrastination. 


84  GoldekDre\m3 


CHAPTER  IX. 

ATER  many  unlooketl  for  delays,  a  half-barrel  of  pork 
which  we  had  long  sought  hi  vain  was  got  out  of  the 
hold  ;  and  on  the  8th  of  September  we  bid  a  final  farewell  to 
the  Leucothea,  and  transferred  ourselves  to  the  Patuxent,  the 
regular  packet  for  Sacramento.  The  Patuxent  was  a  very 
pretty  schooner  of  about  one  hundred  tons, — had  formerly 
been  engaged  in  the  slave-trade,  but  now  bore  at  her  mast- 
head a  flag  showing  that  she  carried  the  mail  for  Uncle  Sam. 
We  set  sail  about  four  in  the  afternoon,  with  a  fine  breeze 
that  we  hoped  would  last  all  night  ;  but  it  went  down  with 
the  sun,  atid  we  were  obliged  to  come  to  anchor  before  we  had 
gone  half  across  the  bay.  Having  eaten  a  frugal  supper  of 
boiled  ham  and  biscuit,  the  ham  costing  only  forty  cents  a 
pour>d,  we  began  anxiously  to  look  about  us  for  sleeping  accom- 
modations. Picking  my  way  carefully  over  the  bundles  of 
dead  and  living  lumber  that  strewed  the  deck,  I  at  last  succeeded 
in  reaching  the  spot  where  I  had  left  my  blankets,  which  I 
found  in  the  possession  of  a  most  delicate  monster,  with  four 
legs  and  two  voices,  who  had  coiled  himself  in  them  for  the 
night.  Pulling  him  by  the  lesser  legs,  I  presently  awakened 
his  forward  and  backward  voices,  which  showed  at  once,  by 
a  duet  of  curses,  that  they  could  both  utter  foul  speeches  on 
occasion. 

"Never  you  mind,"  I  said  to  myself,  "  I  have  not  scaped 
drowning  so  long  to  be  afeard  now  of  your  four  legs  ;"  and 
then  adding  a  few  words  of  explanation,  I  received  back  my 


AND   Leaden   Realities.  85 

property  with  many  apologies.  But  it  was  a  more  difficult 
matter  to  find  six  unoccupied  feet  of  plank  ;  and  I  was  at 
last  obliged  to  put  up  with  a  small  chest  about  three  feet  in 
length  ;  where,  half  sitting,  half  lying,  I  nodded  and  blinked 
till  early  morning 

Sunday  was  an  extremely  dull  day  ;  there  was  but  little 
breeze, — we  began  to  tire  of  the  stupifying  monotony  of  ham 
and  bread,  and  to  feel  somewhat  of  the  enervating  effect  of 
the  climate. 

I  found,  however,  considerable  amusement  in  studying  the 
peculiarities  of  our  fellow  passengers,  nearly  all  of  whom  were 
entire  strangers,  and  presented  a  greater  variety  and  novelty 
than  I  had  yet  met  with.  There  was  a  fair  proportion  of 
old  miners,  who  had  been  down  to  San  Francisco  to  get  letters 
from  home,  or  to  have  a  frolic,  and  were  now  retui'ning  to  the 
mines  ;  but  a  far  greater  number  of  newcomers  like  ourselves. 
There  were  English,  Irish,  Scotch,  French,  Germans,  Span- 
iards, and  Chilanos.  The  captain,  who  was  a  Dane,  with  a 
nose  like  Julius  Csesar's,  seemed  to  have  almost  entire  charge 
of  his  little  vessel,  and  to  be  in  every  part  of  her  at  once.  I 
never  could  discover  that  he  slept  at  all  ;— he  took  his  meals 
holding  the  tiller  under  his  arm  ;  and,  to  save  himself  the 
trouble  of  giving  orders,  chose  often  to  haul  on  the  ropes  with 
his  own  hands. 

The  individual  who  sometimes  relieved  him  from  charge  of 
the  helm  was  a  laughing,  chirruping,  little  Frenchman,  rather 
gaily  dressed,  with  a  bright  red  flannel  shirt,  and  a  showy 
scarf  round  his  waist.  His  untamed  vivacity  smacked  strongly 
of  the  prairie  ;  and,  in  spite  of  the  manifest  anachronism,  I 
was  once  or  twice  on  the  point  of  asking  him  if  he  were  not 
the  Autoine  or  Pierre  of  whom  I  had  read  in  Astorian  story. 

The  night  was  intensely  cold,  and  I  fared  even  worse  than 
before.  I  fell  asleep  several  times  on  my  feet ;  till,  towards 
midnight,  some  one  gave  me  a  seat  on  the  narrow  cabin  stairs, 
where  I  slept  and  shivered  in  weary  alternation.     Monday, 


so  Golden   Dreams 

ho\\-crcr,  was  a  glorious,  true  California  clay  ; — a  moderate 
l.ireoze  Vjore  us  steadily  up  the  river,  wlvose  baiik.s  presented  a 
j.lf aslu!;-  panorama.  Though  it  was  now  near  the  end  of  the 
dry  season,  the  Sacramento  seemed  here  brimming  full  ;  the 
tree.',  and  shrubs,  and  vines  crowding  so  close  to  the  bank 
that  there  was  no  room  for  even  a  footpath  between.  Ascend- 
In;;'  into  the  rigging  I  obtained  a  fine  view  of  the  surrounding 
country.  Beyond  the  narrow  strip  of  forest  that  guarded  the 
banks,  extended,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  tule  marshes, — 
with  here  and  there  an  island,  like  a  gigantic  billow,  break- 
ing the  straight  outline  of  the  horizon. 

As  we  advanced,  the  soil  became  higher  and  fit  for  culti- 
vation. A  narrow  clearing  running  down  to  the  water, — a 
canoe  floating  in  the  shade  of  the  tree  to  whose  roots  it  was 
fastened, — a  rude  hovel  standing  in  the  midst  of  a  patch  of 
melons  or  corn,  all  proclaimed  the  adventurous  squatter,  who, 
Boonelike,  had  led  the  forlorn  hope  of  civilization. 

At  length,  at  a  sudden  turn  in  the  river,  we  descried  at  a 
distance  the  masts  of  Sacramento  mingling  with  the  branches 
of  the  primasval  forest.  On  landing,  a  scene  presented  itself 
of  the  most  novel  and  bewildering  character.  On  one  side 
was  the  lonely  river,  still  lonely  in  spite  of  the  numerous  ships 
that  lay,  side  by  side,  moored  with  long  ropes  to  the  trees  on 
the  bank  ; — on  the  other,  was  tiie  infant  city  yet  maintaining 
a  precarious  struggle  for  existence  with  the  surrounding  wil- 
derness. The  mighty  oak  that  had  possessed  the  soil  alone 
for  centuries,  or  at  least  with  no  other  rival  than  the  wander- 
ing Indian,  now  looked  down  with  wonder  upon  the  audacious 
intruder  at  its  feet,  and  thrust  its  long,  gnarled  branches 
among  the  taper,  slender  spars. 

Awnings  had  been  erected  over  several  ship^:.  which  were 
thus  converted  into  convenient  stores  and  lodgings.  The 
front  rank  of  buildings  stood  drawn  up  in  a  straight  line  about 
two  hundred  feet  from  the  river  ;  and  the  streets,  named  after 
the  letters  of  the  alphabet,  raa  back  at  right  angles  from  the 


AXD    Leaden    Realities.  87 

levee.  The  canvass  walls  were  ornamented  with  painted  signs 
of  the  same  material,  which  were  generally  in  inverse  proper- 
tioii  to  the  size  of  the  edifice,  so  that,  in  many  cases,  hardly 
anything  else  was  visible.  In  spite  of  the  sombre  presence  of 
half  a  dozen  wooden  buildings,  the  lighter  fabric  so  far  predom- 
inated, by  the  aid  of  a  thick  settlement  of  miners'  tents,  as 
to  give  the  whole  place  the  unsubstantial,  ephemeral  appear- 
ance of  the  encampment  of  a  militia  muster,  or  a  gypsy  horde. 

We  took  supper  in  an  eating  house,  a  small  open  tent, 
with  no  floor  but  the  bare  ground,  and  nothing  on  the  table 
but  coffee,  bread,  and  beefsteak  ;  but  the  owner  said  in  excuse 
that  he  had  not  yet  got  a-going,  and  should  accordingly  charge 
us  only  a  dollar  a-piece.  We  slept  this  night  on  board  the 
Patuxent,  and  the  next  morning  looked  for  a  more  stylish 
restaurant,  when,  in  addition  to  what  we  had  for  supper,  they 
set  before  us  liver,  sausages,  potatoes,  and  Indian  pudding, 
all  cooked  a  la  California,  that  is,  fried  in  pork  fat,  but  very 
good,  and  cheap  besides,  our  bill  amounting  to  only  five  dol- 
lars. 

At  noon,  Capt.  Bill  and  Xumber  Four  set  out  for  Mormon 
Island,  to  satisfy  themselves  by  ocular  demonstration  as  to  the 
merits  of  the  Virginia  rocker  ;  while  Tertium  and  myself 
remained  behind  to  dispose  of  some  merchandize  we  had 
brought  out  on  speculation.  We  set  up  our  tent,  a  tall  cone 
or  sugar-loaf,  upon  the  levee,  borrowing  for  that  purpose  a 
wagon-pole  that  lay,  like  the  Irishman's  crowbar,  strewed  all 
over  the  bank  ;  and  erected  about  it,  for  greater  security,  a 
frowning  fortification  of  barrels  of  rice  and  beans,  while  we 
disposed  the  lighter  articles  within. 

Our  nomade  life  had  now  fairly  begun  ;  hitherto  we  had 
hung,  like  puny  nurslings,  on  the  dry  breasts  of  a  sickly  civi- 
lization ;  but  henceforth  we  were  to  shift  for  ourselves. 
Having  kindled  a  fire  and  made  some  coffee  in  a  bright  tin 
coffee-pot,  like  a  young  couple  just  setting  up  housekeeping, 
I  proceeded  to  the  nearest  baker's  shop,  and  having  bought  a 


88  G  0  1.  D  E  X    D  R  E  A  M  S 

couple  of  loaves,  marched  back  through  the  streets,  Franklin- 
wise,  to  our  camp  ;  when  Tcrtium,  who  had  in  the  meantime 
fried  some  steaks,  arranged  the  whole  very  tastily  on  the  top 
of  a  barrel.  We  had  each  a  new  tin  plate  as  briirlit  as  a 
looking-glass,  a  pint  cup,  with  an  iron  spoon,  and  a  big 
butcher's  knife  stuck  into  our  girdle.  The  supper  was  excel- 
lent— I  must  except  the  coffee — and  in  fact  we  had  enjoyed 
nothing  so  much  since  leaving  Talcahuauo. 

After  supper,  as  we  sat  in  the  door  of  our  tent,  with  a 
little  bit  of  home-feeling  already  stirring  in  our  hearts,  a  man 
passing  along  the  levee  stopped  to  ask  what  we  had  for  sale. 
He  had  on  a  monkey  jacket,  a  pair  of  heavy  cowhide  boots 
drawn  over  his  pantaloons,  and  coming  well  up  to  his  knees, 
and  presented  throughout  so  great  a  contrast  to  his  former 
self,  that  we  were  not  a  little  surprised  at  discovering  his 
identity  with  the  fine  gentleman  we  had  so  ofteu  seen  prome- 
nading the  streets  of  B . 

As  we  were  anxious  to  dispose  of  our  goods  as  soon  as 
possible,  without  much  regard  to  price,  our  bargain  was  soon 
completed.  He  paid  us  in  gold  dust,  the  first  that  had  come 
into  our  possession,  which,  for  want  of  a  more  fitting  recep- 
tacle, we  poured  into  a  pewter  cup.  "When  I  afterwards 
emptied  it  into  a  vial,  a  little  remained  sticking  to  the  bottom, 
reminding  me  of  the  Forty  Thieves,  and  the  gold  measured  in 
a  bushel.  "Who  knows,"  I  said  to  myself,  "but  that  we 
may  have,  before  long,  to  resort  to  the  same  expedient  ?" 

It  was  now  time  to  go  to  bed  ;  we  carefully  examined  our 
pistols, — stationed  a  lusty  bag  of  beans  as  sentinel  before  the 
door,  and  spreading  our  blankets  in  the  dust,  were  soon  sleep- 
ing as  carelessly  as  the  veteran  on  the  field  of  battle. 

The  next  morning  we  sold  the  remainder  of  our  goods, 
including  a  large  portion  of  our  provisions,  and  were  now  all 
ready  for  a  start  ;  but  were  obliged  to  wait  until  we  heard 
from  our  companions,  as  we  were  doubtful  whether  we  had 
better  make  our  first  experiment  at  Mormon  Island,  or  on 


AND    Leaden    Rkalitiks.  89 

the  North  Fork  as  we  had  at  first  intended.  In  the  mean- 
tune,  fearful  lest  they  should  let  slip  the  favourable  oppor- 
tunity, I  made  haste  to  write  a  most  pressing  letter,  urging 
them,  by  all  means,  to  lose  no  time  iu  securing  at  least  one 
of  those  machines  that  evei*y  day  seemed  more  scientific  and 
more  desirable. 

Friday,  having  a  few  hooks,  we  amused  ourselves  with 
fishing  in  the  Sacramento.  We  cauglit  a  number  of  fish 
about  a  foot  in  length,  full  of  bones  as  they  could  hold,  but 
furnishing  a  very  welcome  addition  to  our  scanty  bill  of 
fare. 

The  next  day  we  received  a  note  from  Number  Four, 
advising  us  to  join  them  at  Mormon  Island,  as  they  found 
themselves  quite  unable  to  decide  so  important  a  question 
without  our  assistance.  It  was  too  late,  however,  to  com- 
mence so  long  a  journey,  and  we  very  reluctantly  waited  till 
the' following  week. 

Sunday,  two  other  2:>arties  from  the  Leucothea  came  up 
the  river,  Capt.  Fayreweather's,  in  a  flat  boat  they  had  built 
on  board  the  ship,  and  the  Vermonters  in  a  packet. 

The  Vermonters  pitched  their  tent  among  a  large  number 
of  others  in  a  thick  grove  in  one  corner  of  the  town,  and 
then  commenced  the  arduous  task  of  transporting  thither 
their  provisions  ;  the  imperious,  headstrong  Charley  disputing 
all  the  while  with  his  rebellious  satellites,  witli  most  amusing 
pertinacity,  as  to  the  amount  of  labour  performed  by  eacli, 
and  the  proper  method  of  conducting  the  simplest  operation. 

Monday  afternoon  they  started  on  a  long  journey  of 
ninety  miles  up  on  the  Yuba  ;  and,  at  the  same  time,  we  set 
out  for  Mormon  Island,  twenty-five  miles  from  Sacramento, 
with  a  mule  wagon  to  transport  our  provisions  and  household 
stuff,  for  which  we  had  to  pay  eight  cents  a  pound.  After 
passing  Sutter's  Fort,  the  road  for  several  miles  lay  over  an 
open  pi-airie  ;  the  evening  was  calm,  and  the  solitude  and 
silence  greater  even  than  at  sea.     A  little  farther  on,  the 


90  G  O  L  D  E  N     D  i:  E  A  M  S 

surface  became  more  undulating  ;  fine  old  oaks  dotted  the 
ground  at  long  intervals,  seeming,  like  the  stars  in  the  sky, 
set  all  at  an  equal  distance  in  a  wide  circle,  of  which  we 
were  the  centre. 

We  encamped  for  the  night  near  the  American  river, — 
the  sun  had  long  been  set, — we  were  cold  and  hungry,  but 
it  was  too  dark  to  find  materials  for  a  fire,  and  we  were  com- 
pelled to  go  sup})erless  to  bed.  We  spread  our  tent  on  the 
ground,  and  muffling  ourselves  in  our  blankets,  crept  in 
between  the  folds,  in  dumb  expressive  silence,  while  our 
driver,  equally  unsocial,  stretched  his  length,  like  a  watch 
dog,  under  his  wagon.  It  was  a  relief  to  hear  the  roar  of 
the  river  that  on  one  side  seemed  to  furnish  a  wall  of  defence, 
as  if  it  had  weakened  the  surrounding  loneliness  by  cutting 
it  in  halves  ;  it  was  a  relief  even  to  hear  the  barking  of  the 
coatis  as  they  prowled  round  the  wagon  ;  but  I  never  recall 
that  night  by  the  American  river,  and  think  of  the  ])rofound- 
est  desolation  that  brooded  over  us,  without  a  shudder, — a 
shudder  of  delight,  as  children  listen  to  tales  of  ghosts  and 
goblins. 

We  hailed  the  first  dawn  of  day  with  intense  satisfaction; 
before  the  sun  was  up  our  coffee-pot  was  singing  over  a 
crackfing  blaze,  and  a  steak  sizzling  in  the  frying-pan  sent 
forth  a  most  savoury  odour.  There  is  an  immense  difference 
between  going  to  bed  darkling  and  supperless,  and'  getting 
np  to  a  hearty  breakfast  on  a  bright  sunshiny  morning  ;  we 
were  no  longer  the  same  persons,  and,  full  of  beef  and  coffee, 
felt  ready  to  encounter  any  difficulty  that  might  present 
itself. 

We  travelled  all  day  througli  an  open  forest  of  oak, 
passing  one  or  two  houses,  or  ranches  as  they  were  oftener 
called,  and  meeting  occa.sionally  au  empty  wagon  returning 
to  Sacramento.  We  met  also  a  young  fellow  dressed  in  a 
new  calico  shirt  of  the  gayost  pattern,  with  a  bright  scarf 
round   his   waist,   galloping   carelessly   along   the   sweeping 


A  V  n      T.  KADKN      HeALITIES.  91 

glades  oi"  llie  Ibrtst-,  and  swinging  round  his  head  the  long 
braided  lash  that  forms  the  end  of  a  Spanish  bridle.  I 
looked  after  him  with  envious  admiration  ;  for  thinks  I  to 
myself,  there  is  a  lucky  miner  who  has  made  his  fortune, 
twenty  or  thirty  thousand  at  least,  and  is  now  going  home 
to  enjoy  it.  But  it  was  pleasant  to  think  that  in  another 
year  we  too  should  be  galloping  over  the  same  road,  each 
with  just  such  a  horse  and  paiuted  shirt,  and  with  as  well 
filled  saddle-bags  as  he.  Then  how  we  would  exult  over  any 
unlucky  pedestrians  we  might  chance  to  encounter  ! — with 
what  self-complacent  condescension  we  would  stop  to  answer 
their  absurd  questions  !  looking  down  upon  them,  all  the 
while,  from  our  twofold  elevation,  with  most  delightful  pity, 
— pitying  them,  so  to  speak,  as  hard  as  we  could,  and  then 
wrapt  away  from  their  sight  in  a  cloud  of  dust. 

Solacing  ourselves  with  many  such  "  sugared  supposi- 
tions," we  came  at  night  to  a  small  roadside  inn,  called  the 
Willow  Spring  House,  and  built  in  that  place  for  the  sake 
of  the  water  which  is  very  scarce  in  all  that  region.  Several 
parties  were  already  resting  on  the  little  green  slope  opposite 
the  house  ;  we  joined  them,  and  cooked  our  supper  at  their 
fire  ;  while,  after  the  fashion  of  Californians,  we  gave  each 
other  a  brief  account  of  our  adventures.  Some  of  our  com- 
pauions  we  found  had  come  like  ourselves  round  the  Horn, 
and  we  were  mutually  anxious  to  learn  the  names  of  our 
respective  vessels  ;  some  had  come  by  way  of  the  Isthmus, — 
and  others  had  travelled  across  the  plains  of  Mexico,  or 
over  the  Rocky  Mountains.  They  came  together,  at  this 
secluded  spot,  for  the  first  and  last  time,  and  parted  in  the 
morning  ;  some  going  down  to  Sacramento,  which  they  had 
not  yet  seen,  and  others  up  into  the  mountains, — while  we 
continued  our  march,  and  in  an  hour  arrived  at  Mormon 
Island,  where  we  found  our  companions  in  a  state  of  great 
perplexity  at  our  long  delay. 

With  their  assistance  our  sroods  were  soon  unloaded  at  a 


92  <''  "  I- 1)  K  X     B  K  E  A  M  S 

spot  hastily  selected  at  the  side  of  the  street  ;  we  counted  out 
eighty  dollars  on  a  stump  for  our  driver, — hung  our  tent  to 
the  overhanging  branch  of  a  small  oak  to  avoid  the  necessity 
of  a  pole,  and  piled  oi;v  provisions  round  its  trunk. 

Our  next  door  ncighljour,  an  old  man  with  a  loud,  good- 
humoured  voice,  and  who  kept  a  sort  of  small  eating-house  at 
the  farther  end  of  a  monstrous  pine  that  stretched  from  his 
door  to  ours,  was  cooking  his  breakfast  at  a  fire  built  against 
the  middle  of  the  log.  While  our  coffee  was  boiling,  he  began  to 
sing  the  praises  of  some  bean  soup  he  had  just  concocted  ; 
and,  on  my  expressing  some  doubt  of  its  excellence,  nothing 
would  do  but  I  must  taste  it.  "There,"  said  he,  as  I  dipped 
my  iron  spoon  into  the  shallow  tin  plate  he  had  provided, 
"  what  do  you  say  to  that  T  I  was  forced  to  acknowledge 
that  it  was  very  good  indeed,  and  I  further  flattered  the  old 
man's  vanity  by  asking  for  the  recipe,  which  he  gave  me  at 
once,  with  an  infinite  deal  of  chuckling  and  gesticulation, 
flying  round  all  the  while  among  his  pots  and  kettles  with 
twice  his  usual  dexterity. 

Having  fortified  ourselves  with  a  hearty  breakfast,  we  pro- 
ceeded all  together,  Capt.  Bill  leading  the  way,  to  the  island, 
to  see  the  machine  that  had  gradually  climbed  so  high  in  our 
imaginations.  ]\rormon  Island  proper  is  nothing  but  a  large 
bar  on  one  side  of  the  river,  converted  into  an  island  by  a  nar- 
row canal  dug  round  it  for  the  purpose  of  draining  that  por- 
tion of  the  channel.  The  name,  however,  has  extended  itself 
to  the  village  that  has  grown  up  on  the  neighbouring  bank, 
and  which  consisted,  at  that  time,  of  a  single  street  nearly  as 
broad  as  it  was  long, — lined  on  three  sides  with  a  few  scat- 
tered tents  and  log  houses,  though  several  stores  and  hotels 
of  mucli  greater  pretensions  have  since  been  added. 

Cro.-sing  the  canal  by  a  bridge  made  of  a  single  log,  and 
walking  a  few  rods  over  a  succession  of  miniature  hills  thrown 
up  by  the  miners,  we  came  to  a  small  hollow  where  the  ma- 
chine was  at  work.     A  sudden  weakness, — shttll  I  confess  it  ? 


AND    Leaden    1  i  e  a  l  i  t  i  e  s .  93 

— now  cuaie  over  me,  and  I  paused  a  moment  to  recover  my 
stlf-l)OSsession  before  venturing  to  face  this  miracle  of  science. 
I  then  slowly  advanced  till  my  eyes,  rising  above  the  stony 
ridge  that  surrounded  it,  peered  curiously  down  into  the 
hollow. 

Three  times  in  my  life  have  I  met  with  severe  disappoint- 
ments— once  in  my  eighth  year,  hurrying  home  from  school  in 
the  confident  expectation  of  having  apple  dumplings  for  dinner, 
and  finding  that,  through  some  dreadful  cook's  blunder,  there 
was  nothing-  but  salt  beef,  cabbage,  and  potatoes — once  in  my 
maturer  years,  in  a  still  more  tender  point — and  now,  to  com- 
plete the  mighty  tliree,  I  saw — instead  of  the  cunning  inven- 
tion possessed  of  mysterious,  almost  fearful  powers,  which  I 
had  imagined — only  a  Ijig,  clumsy  rocker,  mounted  on  a  frame 
still  bigger  and  clumsier  than  itself,  and  weighing  altogether 
some  five  or  six  hundred  pounds.  Underneath  the  riddle  or 
castiron  sieve  that  extended  the  vrhole  length  of  the  machine, 
was  a  trough  about  eight  inches  deep,  and  divided  by  numer- 
ous low  partitions  into  narrow  cells  intended  to  contain  the 
quicksilver  used  in  washing.  It  was  this  feature  that  had 
suggested  the  idea  of  a  patent  beehive  ;  and  in  the  last  or 
lowest  of  these  cells  we  had  expected  to  find  the  gold  in  a 
state  of  perfect  purity.  We  now  discovered  our  mistake — 
these  partitions  corresponded  simply  to  the  ripple-bars  of  the 
common  rocker,  which  indeed  the  whole  machine  resembled 
much  more  closely  than  we  had  supposed.  Five  men  were 
required  to  attend  to  its  various  wants  ;  one  to  rock — one  to 
pump  into  it  a  constant  stream  of  water — one  to  feed  it — and 
tvro  to  bring  the  earth  from  the  hole. 

Several  of  the  ov>-ners,  members  of  the  company  of  which 
the  scientific  miner  was  president,  were  standing  by,  watching 
the  operation  ;  and  one  of  them  I  thought,  from  his  conversa- 
tion, must  be  almost  as  scientific  as  the  scientific  miner  him- 
self. They  were  all  pleasant,  gentlemanly  fellows,  living  in  a 
fine  large  tent  on  a  breezy  hill  just  above  the  island,  and  in 


94  GoldenDreams 

such  style  and  comfort  as  became  the  owners  of  a  thousand 
thousand-dollar  machines,  like  themselves. 

But  our  hopes  were  doomed  to  receive  another  and  still 
more  overwhelming  shock.  The  scientific  miner  had  assured 
us  that  we  could  make  our  thousand  a  week  from  almost  any 
earth  in  California — wo  did'ut  quite  believe  him,  to  be  sure — 
but  now  the  second  scientific  miner,  not  indeed  so  scientific  as 
the  first,  but  horribly  scientific  for  all  that,  advised  us,  by  all 
means,  not  to  remain  at  Mormon  Island,  but  to  prospect  a 
bar  he  had  himself  visited,  just  below  Coloma,  and  which  he 
thought  from  \i?,  formation  likely  to  prove  unusually  rich. 

"  But,"  replied  Tertium,  shrinking  from  the  idea  of  another 
long  journey,  and  still  possessed  by  the  chimerical  notion  sug- 
gested by  the  scientific  miner,  "  why  would'nt  it  be  as  well  to 
remain  here  ?  There's  that  hill  yonder,  to  the  right  of  the 
village  ;  I  dont  see  why  that  should'nt  pay  as  well  as  any 
other  place." 

You  should  have  seen  the  smile  of  benevolent  pity  with 
which  this  audacious  speech  was  received  by  the  miner  who 
was  only  less  scientific  than  the  scientific  miner  at  San  Fran- 
cisco. It  was  really  delightful  to  see  how  easily  his  science 
enabled  him  to  solve  a  question  which  we  could  have  decided 
only  by  pickaxe  and  shovel. 

"Ah,  my  dear  sir,"  he  replied,  his  politeness  struggling 
hard  with  that  noble  disdain  he  could  not  help  feeling,  "there 
is  no  gold  there — the  geological  formation  shows  that  it  is 
impossible.  If  you  look  again,  you  will  see  that  the  river  here 
makes  a  sudden  turn  to  the  right  ;  and  besides,  gold  is  never 
found  in  such  soil  as  that  hill  is  composed  of." 

Here  Capt.  Bill  looked  at  me  as  much  as  to  say,  "  He's 
one  of  the  men  you  read  of ;"  and  we  all  frowned  upon  Ter- 
tium as  a  sign  that  he  should  hold  his  peace  ;  while,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  second  scientific  miner's  suggestion,  we  did  look 
again — saw,  as  he  said  we  would,  that  the  river  did  turn  to 
the  right,  and  of  course  could  never,  by  any  possibility,  have 


AJfD    Leaden    Realities.  95 

flowed  ill  any  other  direction  ;  whereby  our  opinion  of  science 
in  general,  and  of  the  second  scientific  niinec's  in  particular, 
was  marvellously  confirmed. 

Lest  I  should  forget  it,  I  would  here  simply  mention,  that 
not  long  after,  some  ignoramus,  not  having  the  fear  of  science 
before  his  eyes,  and  digging  stupidly  into  this  identical  hill, 
discovered  veins  of  such  richness  as  turned  half  the  heads  in 
the  village. 

This  hill  in  fact  seemed  one  of  those  awkward  exceptions 
designed  by  nature  expressly  for  the  discomfiture  of  just  such 
philosophers  ;  as  if,  like  the  rest  of  her  sex,  she  would  not 
give  her  suitors  too  much  encouragement,  lest  their  presump- 
tion should  make  them  forget  their  modesty.  The  good  lady, 
if  the  truth  must  be  told,  seemed  in  this  matter  even  more 
capricious  than  ordinary,  and  bestowed  her  favours  with  so 
little  discernment  that  the  least  deserving  were  often  the  most 
successful. 

I  encountered  many  other  scientific  miners  during  my  tra- 
vels, but  never  met  with  one  whose  science  was  worth  his 
salt.  It  did  not  seem  so  much  a  means  as  an  end,  and 
was  continually  leading  them  astray  from  the  real  object  of 
pursuit.  They  acted  often  as  foolishly  as  the  man  who  in 
travelling  would  not  take  the  common  highway  that  led 
directly  to  the  spot  where  he  wished  to  go,  but  chose,  because 
he  could  move  a  little  faster,  to  get  into  a  railroad  car  that 
was  going  in  just  the  opposite  direction.  In  short,  their 
science  was  like  that  discriminating  salve  which,  being  rubbed 
slightly  on  one  eye,  disclosed  all  the  treasures  of  the  earth, 
but  being  applied  to  both,  resulted  in  total  blindness.  Yet  to 
hear  them  talk  of  geological  formations,  of  strata  and  deposits, 
with  theii'  primitive  and  secondary,  it  would  seem  as  if  they 
were  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  diagnosis  of  their  patient, 
and  could  put  their  finger  on  the  very  spot  in  nature's  loins 
where  she  had  hutched  the  all-worshipped  ore,  with  as  much 
certainty  as  a  modern  Esculapius  can  determine  the  seat  of  a 
disease. 


OG  G  O  L  D  K  N"     D  n  K  A  M  3 

However,  the  second  scientific  miner  had  said  it,  and 
accord  in  dy  the  next  morning  after  our  arrival,  and  be- 
fore the  blisters  had  dried  ofT  my  feet,  I  set  out  with  Number 
Four  for  Coloma,  twenty-live  miles  farther  up  the  river.  Our 
blankets  were  slnng  over  our  shoulders,  and  we  carried  in  our 
pockets  a  bit  of  bread  and  cheese  to  beguile  the  way  somewhat 
of  its  weariness.  We  commenced  our  journey  in  high  spirits, 
but  had  not  walked  more  than  two  miles  before  the  stiffening 
which  my  limbs  so  much  needed  seemed  all  to  have  settled  in 
my  boots,  where  it  was  not  needed  at  all  ;  and  I  found,  to  my 
indignant  surprise  and  consternation,  that  I,  who  had  never, 
so  to  speak,  been  sick  in  my  life,  was  thus  shamefully  betrayed 
into  a  downright  fit  of  dysentery. 

It  was  now  the  middle  of  September,  a  season  when  the 
heat,  if  no  longer  quite  so  intense,  is  even  more  oppressive 
than  in  summer  ;  all  vegetation  was  burnt  up,  and  the 
parched,  dusty  ground  cjuivered  in  the  dizzy  rays. 

Loitering  slowly  under  the  scattered  trees,  and  quickening 
our  pace  in  the  unbroken  sunshine,  we  came  at  noon  to  a 
circular  sandy  plain  about  two  miles  in  diameter,  without  a 
leaf  in  its  whole  extent,  and  glowing  under  the  fierce  meridian 
like  the  focus  of  a  burning-glass. 

Collecting  our  forces  for  a  desperate  rally,  we  hurried  in 
eager  emulation  across  this  little  desert,  and  found  on  the 
other  side  a  ranch,  with  a  spring,  shaded  by  a  few  solitary 
oaks,  at  some  distance  from  the  roadside,  and  offering  a  con- 
venient resting-place.  We  stopped  here  several  hours, 
nibbling  at  our  bread  and  cheese,  and  scoopuig  up  water 
from  the  spring  in  a  cocoanut  shell  I  had  brought  from  Rio 
Janeiro  ;  but  the  sun  playing  "bo-peep"  with  us  round  tlic 
tree  made  it  impossible  to  sleep,  and  at  length  compelled  us 
to  resume  our  journey.  The  country  became,  aa  we  advanced, 
more  and  more  hilly  and  thickly  wooded  ;  and  after  crossing 
Weaver's  Creek,  a  small  stream  four  miles  from  Coloma,  the 
road  seemed  entirely  made  up  of  a  succession  of  long  steep 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  97 

bills.  The  degree  of  exhaustion  to  which  I  was  now  veducecl, 
exceeded  anything  of  which  I  had  snr  osed  the  human  frame 
was  capable  ;  at  the  top  of  evei'y  uill  I  huiTied  forward, 
hoping  to  hear  the  roar  of  the  rivei.  or  to  catch  a  glimpse 
of  the  tents  of  Coloma  at  the  bottom  ;  more  than  once  I 
threw  myself  ti\  the  ground  with  the  full  determination  to 
proceed  no  fariLer  till  morning,  but  the  urgency  of  my  com- 
panion prevailed,  and  again  I  set  forward  to  encounter  the 
next  ascent. 

It  was  long  after  dark  when  we  at  last  saw  the  lights  of 
the  village  far  below.  Slowly  winding  down  the  long  hill, 
we  passed  the  scattered  suburijs  of  tents,  with  little  groups 
of  miners  sitting  round  their  drowsy  fires,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  reached  the  store  to  which  we  had  been  directed, 
where  I  sank  onto  a  bench,  as  it  seemed  more  dead  than 
alive. 

They  gave  u^  for  supper  some  wretched  tea,  of  which  I 
drank  eagerly  four  or  five  cups — cold  stewed  beans,  and  an 
apple-sauce  of  dried  peaches,  of  which  I  ate  more  sparingly, 
but  my  stomach,  with  superior  instinct,  refused  to  retain  any 
such  villainous  combination.  We  slept  on  the  dirty  open 
floor  of  the  dining-room,  fanned  by  the  night  air  sifting 
through,  cold  and  dust-laden — and  lulled  by  the  beating  of 
that  mill  that  will  henceforth,  while  the  world  stands,  be 
more  renowned  in  story  than  many  a  royal  palace.  Among 
our  companions  were  two  or  three  dogs  continually  running 
in  and  out,  and  smelling  round  our  faces,  and  a  poor  woman 
who  had  walked  that  day  twenty -five  miles,  with  an  infant 
in  her  arms,  to  meet  her  husband,  and  was  now  inconsolable 
at  his  delay. 

In  the  morning  we  walked  out  to  see  the  place.  It  stands 
in  a  narrow  valley,  hemmed  in  l\v  high  rugged  hills,  among 
which  the  South  Fork  worms  its  way,  sometimes  dark  and 
deep,  but  oftener  widening  into  a  stream  so  shallow  that  it 
can  almost  be  crossed  dryshod.     There  by  its  side  was  the 


OS  G  O  L  D  E  N     D  R  E  A  M  S  . 

mill  that  had  made  all  this  stir,  worth  a  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  yet  working  away  ignobly,  day  and  night,  like  any 
of  the  thousand  saw-mills  that  bestride  the  streams  of  Xew 
England. 

After  breakfast  we  ijorrowed  a  pick,  pan  and  shovel  of 
our  landlord  ;  and,  striking  into  a  footpath  over  the  hills, 
walked  a  mile  down  the  river  to  the  bar  so  highly  recom- 
mended by  the  second  scientific  miner. 

This  bar  was  much  larger  and  higher  than  Mormon  Island, 
with  many  trees  scattered  over  it  ;  but  its  surface  remained 
unbroken,  and  the  merry  dash  of  the  miner's  rocker  was  no- 
where heard.  Near  the  lower  end  a  natural  dam  had  formed 
a  romantic  little  pond,  with  pebbly  beaches  running  down 
between  the  bushes  into  the  water,  where  we  saw  the  fish 
glancing  beneath  the  surface.  A  more  commodious  and 
delightful  spot  for  a  miner's  encampment  could  hardly  be  de- 
vised. The  slender  pines  were  admirably  fitted  for  a  log 
house — the  solitude  was  like  enchantment,  and  what  could  be 
pleasanter  than  to  sit  in  some  shady  nook,  and  fish  all  the 
long,  lazy  summer's  day  in  those  fairy  waters  ? 

But  imperious  necessity  compelled  us  to  shut  our  eyes  to 
all  these  features  of  delight,  and  to  look  simply  at  the  amount 
of  gold  that  might  be  expected  to  reward  our  labour. 

We  selected  a  spot  at  the  upper  end  of  the  bar,  as  most 
likely  to  contain  the  precious  metal,  and  at  once  set  vigor- 
ously to  work  throwing  out,  like  two  rampant  antlions,  the 
paving-stones  and  gravel  that  came  tumbling  back  upon  us 
in  the  most  vexatious  manner.  Occasionally  Number  Four 
filled  a  pan  half  full  of  earth,  and  carried  it  down  to  the  river 
to  wash  out.  The  first  trial  gave  nothing,  the  second  a  little 
more,  and  at  length  we  were  so  fortunate  as  to  obtain  a  pan- 
ful that  yielded  the  incredible  sum  of  three  cents.  We  rested 
an  hour  at  noon  to  eat  our  salt  beef  and  biscuit,  and  again 
resumed  our  labours,  but  with  no  better  success  ;  we  returned 
to  the  attack  the  next  morning,  and  at  another  part  of  the 


AXD    Leadkn    Realities.  99 

bar  ;  but  three  cents  was  the  best  it  could  do  for  us,  and  we 
finally  abandoned  it  in  sore  disgust. 

Oh,  that  second  scientific  miner!  and,  oh,  that  "  promising 
formation  !"  Promising!  yes,  it  was  promising,  but  it  lied 
consumedly. 

In  the  afternoon,  we  met  a  number  of  our  fellow-passengers 
who  were  mining  in  the  vicinity.  The  account  they  gave  of 
the  Coloma  diggings  was  not  such  as  to  induce  us  to  remain 
any  longer  in  the  place,  and  we  determined  to  return  to  Mor- 
mon Island,  without  any  further  explorations  ;  the  more 
especially,  as  we  were  somewhat  tired  of  paying  nine  dollars 
a  day  for  such  board  and  lodging  as  I  have  described.  As 
Number  Four,  however,  preferred  to  wait  till  the  next  morn- 
ing, I  set  out  alone  at  half-past  four,  expecting  to  finish  my 
journey  by  moonlight.  To  avoid  the  exquisite  torture  in-* 
flicted  by  my  boots,  I  cut  off  the  tops  of  an  old  pair  I  picked 
up  in  the  street — drew  them  up  over  my  feet  like  a  napkin  by 
a  string  passed  through  the  four  corners — and  thus,  with  my 
boots  in  my  hand,  shuffled  along  with  that  awkward  waddle 
peculiar  to  all  the  webfooted  tribe.  No  one  would  have  had 
the  slightest  difficulty  in  following  my  trail,  which,  besides  the 
elephantine  footprint,  was  marked  at  regular  intervals,  as  by 
mile-stones,  by  the  little  piles  of  dust  and  gravel  I  had  emptied 
out  of  these  gouty  appendages.  This  answered  very  well  for 
several  miles,  but  by  the  time  I  reached  Weaver  Creek,  the 
soles  of  my  feet  had  become  so  sore  that  I  was  obliged  to 
resume  my  boots.  The  sun  set  soon  after,  but  I  still  pro- 
ceeded very  comfortably  by  aid  of  the  moon,  though  the  deep 
shadows  of  the  hills  and  trees  sometimes  hid  the  road  com- 
pletely from  view.  About  nine  I  fame  suddenly  upon  a  piece 
of  bog  that  ran  directly  across  the  road,  and  which  I  had  no 
recollection  of  seeing  on  my  way  up  ;  at  the  same  moment,  as 
ill  luck  would  have  it,  the  moon  dipped  very  ill-naturedly  be- 
neath the  horizon,  thus  depriving  me  of  her  light  just  when  I 
could  worst  do  without  it. 


100  GoLDKN    Dreams 

"NVliile  I  was  bewildering  mvscll"  more  and  more  in  my  vain 
attempts  to  find  a  passage,  a  "\Vill-o'-tlie-wisi>ish  sort  of  light, 
dancing  about  at  no  great  distance,  attracted  my  attention. 
I  was  greatly  pleased,  on  coming  up  with  it,  to  find  it  of  a 
more  friendly  character  ;  a  man  was  looking  after  his  cattle, 
and  told  me,  in  answer  to  my  inquiries,  that  the  road  here 
turned  at  right  angles,  and  that  the  black  shadow  I  saw  at  a 
little  distance  was  the  Green  Spring  House,  where  it  will  be 
recollected  we  had  rested  on  our  way  to  Coloma. 

•  I  should  have  remained  at  Green  Spring  all  night,  but  un- 
fortunately I  had  left  my  blankets  behind  me,  and  had  no 
desire  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  the  strange  bedfellows  one 
was  sure  to  encounter  in  a  California  inn.  I  stopped  accord- 
ingly only  long  enough  to  obtain  a  glass  of  water  ;  the  bar- 
keeper scowled  because  I  did  not  ask  for  brandy  ;  and  having 
at  length,  with  some  difficulty,  found  the  road,  which  ran  just 
before  the  door,  I  again  set  forward.  I  at  first  proceeded 
very  slowly,  stooping  from  time  to  time  to  make  out  ray  course 
by  the  shimmer  of  the  wheel-tracks  ;  but  becoming  tired  of 
this  species  of  locomotion,  I  pushed  on  more  rapidly,  and  soon 
lost  the  road  altogether. 

Fearing  at  length  that  I  might  be  going  in  the  wrong 
direction,  I  pulled  out  my  pocket-compass  and  a  box  of 
matches  ;  and  having  ascertained  the  position  of  the  north 
star,  determined  to  steer  my  course  as  at  sea,  without  turn- 
ing to  the  right  hand  or  the  left.  But  after  what  seemed 
many  weary  miles,  no  signs  of  life  appearing,  I  began  to  think 
I  had  passed  the  island,  and  was  now  perhaps  half  way  down 
to  Sacramento.  I  knew,  however,  that  the  river  was  on  my 
right  ;  I  supposed  it  could  not  be  far  distant,  and  that,  if  I 
once  succeeded  in  reaching  it,  I  should  have  no  difficulty  in 
determining  ray  true  position.  Tliere  never  was  a  greater 
blunder — for  more  than  an  hour  I  toiled  on,  over  hill  and 
valley,  stopping  now  and  then  to  catch  the  far-off  roar  of  the 
river,  or  any  other  sound  that  might  prate  of  my  whereabouts. 


AND    Lead  EX    Realities.  101 

suddenly  I  heard  a  dog  bark  far  down  the  stream,  and  then 
the  lowing  of  a  cow.  These  cheerful  sounds  gave  me  courage. 
I  jjressed  on,  and  soon  saw  l^elow,  the  black-and-white  water 
gliding  under  the  ghostly  starlight,  along  its  rocky  channel. 
I  scrambled  down,  nearly  breaking  my  neck  in  my  eagerness, 
by  tumbhng  over  a  bank  some  ten  feet  high  ;  and  sitting  on 
a  lump  of  granite  I  dipped  my  cocoa  nut  again  and  again  into 
the  stream,  and  drained  it  with  as  feverish  relish  as  if  I  had 
been  scorching  beneath  the  sun  of  Sahara. 

Finding  it  impossible  to  make  my  way  along  the  craggy 
shore,  I  again  ascended  the  high  ground,  vdien  I  waded  for  a 
long  time  through  a  deep  sea  of  hemlock.  Emerging  from 
this  I  wandered  on,  by  trees,  and  rocks,  and  hills — nothing 
civilised,  nothing  moving  but  the  coati  and  the  hare  that 
"  from  my  path  fled  like  a  shadow."  I  stopped  and  hallooed, 
though  half  frightened  at  the  sound  of  my  own  voice,  but 
echo  was  the  only  answer.  On  I  went,  further  and  further 
into  the  big  blackness  of  the  night,  feeling  my  way,  as  it 
were,  by  continued  shouts,  as  a  blind  man  pokes  his  way 
with  a  cane.     My  efforts  were  at  length  successful. 

"  What  in  the  d are  you  making  such  a  hullabaloo 

for,  at  this  time  o'  night  ?"  said  a  gruff  voice  coming  out  of 
the  darkness.  I  looked  in  the  direction  of  the  sound,  and 
saw,  close  at  my  elbow  where  I  wondered  I  had  not  seen  it 
before,  a  large  wagon  covered  with  white  cotton.  Approach- 
ing somewhat  nearer,  I  became  aware  of  a  head,  to  which 
apparently  the  voice  belonged,  projecting  tortoise-like  from 
the  end  of  the  wagon.  In  answer  to  my  inquiries,  the  head, 
that  in  spite  of  its  first  salutation,  seemed  a  very  good  sort 
of  a  head,  informed  me  j^leasantly  enough  that  Mormon 
Island  was  only  a  mile  below,  and  that  I  could  not  fail  to  hit 
it.  As  I  turned  aw-ay,  I  heard  a  woman's  voice,  sounding 
smothered  out  of  the  cart's  belly,  say,  "  poor  fellow  ;"  and  I 
blessed  her  with  all  her  sisterhood. 

About  three  in  the  morning,  Capt.  Bill  suddenly  awaking, 


102  Golden    Dreams 

was  dreadfully  startled  to  perceive  a  tall  figure  standing  at 
his  feet.  He  instantly  aroused  bis  companion,  who,  sitting 
up  on  end  with  most  courageous  trembling,  began  fumbling 
under  his  head  for  a  pistol,  while  he  boldly  demanded  "  who's 
there  ?"  No  answer  being  returned,  his  finger  already  pressed 
the  fatal  trigger,  and  another  moment  would  have  ended 
my  adventures  before  they  had  well  begun,  if  I  had  not 
made  haste  to  relieve  their  fears  by  the  assurance  that  I  was 
not  the  bloody  thief  and  murderer  they  had  been  so  quick  to 
imagine. 

I  have  been  the  more  particular  in  describing  this  little 
bit  of  travel,  as  it  was  our  first  experience  of  the  varieties  of 
California  life,  and  a  fitting  introduction  to  what  was  to  fol- 
low. California  at  that  time  was  an  almost  unbroken  wilder- 
ness, with  a  few  villages  scattered  at  long  intervals  on  the 
principal  rivers,  and  a  single  house  here  and  there  along  the 
roads.  The  forests  were  supposed  to  be  infested  by  wild 
beasts  and  more  savage  Indians,  and  on  this  very  occasion  I 
was  startled  more  than  once  by  hearing  the  dead  branches  by 
tiie  road  side  snapping  under  the  tread  of  some  heavy  animal, 
which  I  boldly  maintained,  gainsay  it  who  will,  must  have 
been  a  grizzly  of  the  first  magnitude  ;  though  I  will  allow 
that  no  animal  more  formidable  than  a  coati  was  ever  Been  in 
that  neiurhbourhood. 


AND   Leaden   Realities.  103 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  next  day  was  our  first  Sunday  in  the  mines.  It  had 
not  come  any  too  soon.  Through  the  long  sultry  hours  I 
lay  stretched  on  my  blankets,  watching  the  coquettish  play  of 
the  leaves  drawn  on  the  camera  obscura  of  our  canvass  walls, 
and  dreaming,  oh  !  how  dreamily  1  of  all  we  had  left  behind. 
At  noon.  Number  Four  made  his  appearance,  not  at  all 
fatigued  by  his  journey  ;  and,  as  it  was  probable  that  we 
shoidd  now  remain  some  time  at  Mormon  Island,  we  deter- 
mined to  remove  to  a  pleasanter  locality.  We  selected  for 
this  purpose  the  hill  on  which  the  second  scientific  miner  and 
his  party  had  pitched  their  tent,  and  by  Monday  night  were 
snugly  settled  in  our  new  quarters. 

Having,  as  before,  hung  our  tent  on  the  north  side  of  an 
ever-green  oak,  we  strewed  the  floor  with  pine  twigs,  and  a 
species  of  coarse  hummocky  grass  that  grew  in  great  abun- 
dance on  the  rocky  hill  sides.  Our  nari'ow  bedsteads,  hastily 
constructed  of  rough  poles,  resting  on  low  crotches  driven  into 
the  ground,  were  made  to  fit  into  the  circumference  of  the 
tent,  so  that  I  could  only  sleep  on  my  right  side,  and  Tertium 
could  only  sleep  on  his  left,  and  there  was  no  turning  over 
except  by  changing  beds.  A  barrel  of  biscuit,  a  half  barrel 
of  sugar,  together  with  sundry  bags  of  beans,  and  rice,  and 
pork,  filled  all  the  centre  of  the  tent,  leaving  only  room  enough 
to  get  in  and  out. 

The  hill,  on  which  we  had  thus  encamped,  and  where  we 
remained  several  months,  rose  directly  from  the  river,  and 


104  Golden    Dkeams 

was  agreeably  shaded  by  white  and  evergrcpii  oaks,  not  stand- 
ing close  together  or  in  clumps,  but  at  ahiiost  as  regular 
intervals  as  the  trees  iu  an  orchard,  which  at  a  short  distance 
they  closely  resembled.  In  front,  looking  down  the  river,  and 
toward-  the  sunsetting,  was  the  sleepy  little  village,  with  its 
scattering  suburbs  of  tents,  peeping  out  among  the  hills,  and 
now  and  then,  a  heavy  baggage-wagon,  attended  by  a  party 
of  impatient  miners,  slowly  creeping  down  the  Sacramento 
road  Ijeyond — the  river  more  to  the  right  winding  round  the 
rocky  island,  swarming  with  men  like  a  great  ant-hill — and, 
fiir  beyond  all,  and  forming  a  fitting  back-ground  to  the  pic- 
ture, a  hill  of  surpassing  beauty,  rising  in  successive  terraces, 
as  sharp  and  regular  as  if  formed  by  art,  to  a  height  of  several 
hundred  feet. 

Five  or  six  parties  were  encamped  in  our  neighbourhood, 
and  on  the  summit  of  the  hill,  a  hundred  yards  behind  us,  was 
a  large  tent,  occupied  as  a  store  by  the  same  enterprising 
individual  to  whom  we  had  sold  our  tinware  at  Sacramento. 

Tuesday,  the  Captain  and  Number  Four  were  employed  by 
the  second  scientific  miner  in  working  his  machine,  for  which 
they  received  the  usual  wages,  eight  dollars  a  day,  and  also 
acquired  some  knowledge  of  its  operation.  At  the  same  time, 
as  Tertium  and  I  did  not  wish  to  be  idle,  and  had  not  yet 
obtained  a  rocker,  we  set  to  work  on  the  river  bank  with  pans, 
modestly  limiting  our  expectations  to  an  ounce  a  piece. 

Panning  is  to  the  beginner  a  very  curious  and  mysterious 
operation.  An  old  miner  had  initiated  my  l)rother  in  the 
P''oces>,  and  he  now  gave  me  the  result  of  his  experience. 
"  You  nuist  do  so,  and  so,  and  so,"  said  he,  suiting  the  action 
to  the  word.  I  accordingly  did  as  I  was  told,  shaking  and 
whirling,  and  dipping  v/ith  all  my  might,  'hough  with  a 
strange  mixture  of  faith  and  unbelief  as  to  t':;-  icsult. 

Tiiere  was  nothing  iu  the  appearance  of  iiie  earth  to  dis- 
tinguish it  from  what  I  had  seen  a  thousand  limes  at  home. 
It  was  simply  a  mass  of  sand,  and  stones,  and  gravel,  such  as 


AND    Leadex    Realities.  105 

is  ofteu  found  on  our  sea-shores,  and  in  tlie  beds  or  along  the 
banks  of  our  more  rapid  rivers.  Yet  this  was  the  earth  I  had 
come  twenty  thousand  miles  to  seek,  and  in  that  earth,  unno- 
ticed among  the  baser  substances,  but  worth  more  than  all 
of  them,  there  hirked,  so  I  was  told,  and  so  I  partly  believed, 
divers  grains  of  gold. 

While  I  thus  wondered,  I  had  gradually  thrown  out  the 
lighter  sand  and  gravel,  but  a  portion  of  black  sand  still 
remained  ;  and  now,  as  with  gentle  violence  I  sank  the  edge 
of  the  pan  beneath  the  surface,  the  inrushing  water  brought 
to  view  a  few  brighter  grains  contrasted,  and  in  appearance 
multiplied  by  this  intimate  mingling  with  their  sooty  brethren. 
Good  !  I  said,  there  must  be  at  least  two  dollars  ;  but  when 
the  black  sand  was  all  floated  out  by  the  dipping  process  just 
mentioned,  I  found,  to  my  great  mortification,  that  there  was 
not  more  than  twenty-five  cents. 

That  part  of  the  bank  which  we  had  selected  had  already 
been  once  dug  over,  and  most  of  its  riches  abstracted  ;  but 
as  the  first  miners  had  done  their  work  in  a  careless  and 
slovenly  manner,  contenting  themselves,  as  I  had  thought  to 
do,  not  indeed  with  the  biggest  lumps,  but  with  the  richest 
portions,  they  had  left  numerous  little  patches  scattered 
among  and  under  the  rocks  that  afforded  very  good  pickings 
to  their  successors.  Our  labour  was  not,  however,  in  this 
instance  very  profitable  ;  we  made  only  three  dollars,  and 
were  glad  the  next  day  to  change  our  employment. 

Number  Four  set  out  on  an  expedition  of  inquiry  among 
the  miners  on  the  Xorth  Fork, — Tertium  took  his  place  at 
the  Virginia  rocker — and  I  was  engaged  to  assist  as  a  journey- 
man carpenter  in  putting  up  a  small  iron  house  belonging  to 
a  Mr.  Mowbray,  who  had  lately  arrived  in  the  diggings  in 
such  style  as  to  pi'oduce  an  immense  sensation. 

He  was  a  young  man  of  good  family  and  rather  genteel 
figure — rich  and  well  educated — understood  thoroughly  the 
art  of  spending  money,  but  had  probably  never  earned  a 


106  Golden   Dreams 

dollar  in  his  life.  Tired  at  length  of  this  barren  inactivity, 
and  seized  with  a  dreamy  ambition  to  do  something  in  the 
world,  he  had  pitched  ujjon  California  as  a  suitable  field  for 
his  first  essay.  His  plan  of  operations  was  equally  bold  and 
ingenious  ;  he  determined  to  conquer  nature,  and  transport 
the  comforts  of  civilization  into  her  rude  and  rugged  fastnesses. 
He  had  no  objection  to  the  romance  and  excitement  of  a 
miner's  life,  but  he  would  have  none  of  its  accompanying 
hardships. 

Naturalists  have  described  a  species  of  spider  that,  in 
order  to  gratify  its  amphibious  propensity,  makes  a  diving 
bell  of  bubble,  and  dwells  in  this  palace  of  light  secure  beneath 
the  waters.  So  ]\Iowbray  plunging  into  an  unaccustomed 
element,  still  carried  about  him  his  bubble  of  old  associations. 
In  spite  of  the  seeming  greatness  of  the  change,  his  atmosphere 
was  still  the  same  ;  his  nature  had  undergone  no  transforma- 
tion, and  he  walked  now  over  the  hills  of  California  as 
formerly  along  the  pavements  of  Broadway.  Others  might 
sleep  on  the  ground,  and  live  on  pork  and  flap-jacks,  but  he 
would  sleep  softly  and  fare  luxuriantly — they  might  toil  for 
an  ounce  a  day,  he  sought  no  lesser  game  than  thousands. 

And  if  the  most  lavish  expenditure  of  money  had  been  all 
that  was  wanting,  his  success  would  have  been  placed  beyond 
all  doubt.  During  the  three  months  of  preparation  previous 
to  his  departure,  he  had  forgotten  nothing,  however  trifling, 
necessary  to  his  undertaking. 

You  would  have  thought  him  a  second  Robinson  Crusoe 
about  to  embark  voluntarily  for  his  desert  island.  First  and 
foremost  came  a  chest  of  tools,  though  I  grievously  fear  that 
our  dainty  crusader  could  hardly  have  told  a  chisel  from  a 
handsaw.  But  then,  fortunately,  he  had  a  scientific  dictionary 
in  two  fat  volumes,  from  which  he  could  easily  obtain  the 
necessary  information.  Next  there  was  a  horse-power,  a 
heavy  mass  of  iron-wheels,  so  called,  I  suppose,  because  nobody 
but  a  horse  could  move  it — india-rubber  pontoons,  looking 


AND   Leaden   Realities.  107 

marvellously  like  the  skiu  of  a  huge  black  snake — a  large  tent 
of  the  same  material  to  use  in  prospecting — together  with  a 
whole  army  of  picks  and  shovels,  to  look  at  which  you  would 
suppose  our  hero  had  as  many  arms  as  Briareus. 

He  had,  too,  a  most  knowing  belly,  and  one  that  evidently 
abhorred  a  vacuum  as  much  as  Dame  Nature  herself.  Accord- 
ing to  the  strictest  calculation,  and  assuming  as  a  standard 
the  most  primitive  of  all  measures,  the  capacity  of  the  re- 
spectable functionary  mentioned  in  the  first  line  of  this  para- 
graph, there  was  of  sugar,  three  hundred  and  fifty — of 
Stewart's  syrup,  ditto — of  cheese,  sixty — of  flour,  eight  hun- 
dred— of  tea  and  coffee,  a  thousand — of  spices,  pickles,  pre- 
serves, &c.,  six  hundred — of  pork,  two  hundred — and  of  beans, 
horresco  referens,  not  one. 

These  various  luxuries,  together  with  the  house  already 
mentioned,  and  more  than  all,  two  mahogany  bedsteads  with 
mattrass  and  pillow,  excited  the  unqualified  admiration  of  less 
fortunate  or  less  sagacious  adventurers. 

Certain  sturdy  miners  indeed,  who  could  carry  all  they 
owned  upon  their  backs,  shrugged  their  shoulders  at  all  this, 
and  even  laughed  outright  at  the  mahogany  bedsteads  ;  but 
they  were  poor  creatures  who  could  never  by  any  possibility 
be  made  to  appreciate  an  enterprise  conducted  with  such 
liberality  and  magnificence. 

To  supply  his  own  want  of  practical  knowledge,  and  thus 
make  assurance  doubly  sure,  Mowbray  had  brought  with  him 
a  companion  of  a  very  different  temper,  and  who  seemed  by 
his  habits  and  education  fitted  to  make  as  useful  an  ally  as 
the  simple-hearted  Friday;  that  most  delectable  of  blacks  till 
ITncle  Tom  came  to  divide  our  sympathies.  The  idea  was 
a  good  one,  but  his  selection  was  unfortunate.  Our  Friday 
was  a  genuine  cockney,  who  had  never  been  out  of  the  sound 
of  Bow-bells,  or  out  of  sight  of  St.  Paul's.  He  had  lived,  to 
be  sure,  several  years  in  the  United  States,  and  professed  to 
entertain  the  highest  admiration  of  our  institutions,  but  had 


108  Goldp::-j    Dreams 

not  really  o'aiucd  a  new  idea.  Indeed,  lie  w;>-  not  a  man  of 
ideas,  but  ol'  education,  or,  to  speak  more  jun'urately,  of  in- 
!:ruetion,  and  had  no  more  to  do  witli  the  fVn-mation  of  his 
own  iniud  than  an  india-rubber  shoe  has  wiiU  tliat  of  the 
'  \ould  that  shapes  it.  ilc  was  obsequious  to  a  fault,  and 
even  slavish  iu  his  depc  leuce,  so  that,  as  Capt.  Bill  observed, 
one  \van<^'^'d  to  kick  him  for  his  humility.  He  had  neither  the 
versatili.  J  of  a  Yankee,  or  of  a  cat  in  his  composition — he  could 
'•  make  the  thing,  but  not  the  machine  that  makes  it," — and 
evei'y  sudden  emergency  took  him  entirely  by  surprise.  In 
the  hands  of  a  master  he  would  undoubtedly  have  made  an 
ellicient  instrument,  but  in  the  hands  of  Mowbray  he  was  worse 
tl:an  useless. 

It  was  to  assist  this  character  in  erecting  his  house,  that  I 
was  now  employed  by  Mowbray,  who  was  himself  suffering 
from  dysentery,  and  therefore  unable  to  attend  to  it  in  person 
The  fra;;.  ,  which  was  only  ten  feet  by  twelve,  had  been  pre- 
pared under  Friday's  supervision  ;  yet  the  work  had  been 
done  in  such  a  bungling  manner,  that  we  were  three  whole 
days  in  putting  it  togefher  and  fitting  in  the  iron  sheets  that 
formed  the  walls.  When  all  was  done,  however,  a  very  com- 
fortable house  was  the  result,  presenting  in  its  air  of  suugncss 
and  security,  a  marked  contrast  to  the  loose  open  tents  by 
which  it  was  surrounded.  Mowbray  at  once  took  possession, 
and  assumed,  by  tacit  consent  of  the  pork-and-flapjack  dem- 
ocracy about  him,  some  such  state  and  dignity  as  usually 
attaches  to  the  great  house  of  a  country  village. 

Number  Four  returned  on  Friday  ;  he  had  seen  a  number 
of  our  old  shipmates,  who  were  mining  on  the  North  Fork, 
but  though  they  were  generally  doing  better  than  with  us, 
tlie  advantage  was  too  slight  to  counterbalance  the  evils  of  a 
removal,  and  we  accordingly  made  »ip  our  minds  to  remain 
where  we  were. 

The  next  Tuesday,  which  was  the  second  of  October,  the 
long-looked  for  machine  for  which  we  had  finally  bargained 


AND   Leaden   Realities.  109 

with  the  scientific  miner,  made  its  appearance  in  an  oblong 
box  somewhat  bigger  than  a  coffin.  Tlie  omen  was  unfor- 
tunate, but  in  our  infatuation  v/e  disregarded  every  warning 
and  rushed  blindly  on  our  fate.  We  found  the  difficulty  of 
putting  the  parts  together  greatly  increased  by  the  careless- 
ness of  the  construction  and  the  improper  nature  of  the 
materials  ;  and  our  vexation  at  this  delay  received  a  fresh 
accession  every  time  we  compared  the  exorbitant  price  of  the 
machine  with  its  actual  value.  Besides,  we  had  insensibly 
come  to  regard  the  unwieldy  monster  with  doubt,  if  not  with 
absolute  aversion.  I  can  not  explain  now  any  more  than  I 
could  then  the  sort  of  somnambulic  process  by  which  we  had 
arrived  at  this  state  of  unbelief,  but  in  some  way  the  convic- 
tion had  been  forcing  itself  upon  us  that  neither  the  Virginia 
rocker,  nor  California  itself,  were  all  we  had  so  fondly 
imagined.  We  had  not  yielded  even  so  much  as  this  w^ithout 
a  struggle  ;  machines  of  a  very  similar  construction  were 
already  at  work  on  the  island  and  their  owners  were  by  no 
means  getting  rich,  but  then,  as  the  second  scientific  miner 
said,  they  were  not  exactly  the  same,  and  on  this  apparently 
unimportant  distinction  depended  the  very  secret  of  success. 
There  was  one,  however,  exactly  the  same,  but  it  had  not  been 
thoroughly  tried.  Old  miners  smiled  significantly  at  us  as 
they  passed,  and  sneered  at  the  company's  expectations.  But 
it  was  only  envy.  Thus  we  disputed  every  inch  of  ground, 
still  hoping  against  hope,  when  our  best  friend  would  have 
been  a  wise  despair. 

The  whole  week  was  consumed  in  various  operations. 
After  putting  together  the  machine,  and  the  heavy  frame  on 
which  it  rested,  we  erected  a  stout  scaffold  ten  feet  high  to 
support  the  pump  and  the  man  who  worked  it,  and  who  was 
thus  raised  to  a  very  doubtful  dignity  above  his  fellows. 
Spouts  were  also  requii*ed  to  convey  the  water  from  the  pump 
to  the  rocker,  and  to  make  these  we  cut  up  the  coffin  already 
mentioned,  into  long  strips  three  or  four  inches  wide.     In  all 


110  Golden   Dreams 

this  it  is  Init  fair  to  ineutioii  that  we  derived  great  advantage 
from  the  chest  of  tools  possessed  by  our  friend  Mowljraj'. 

Ill  the  iiieaiitiiiie  we  had  bought  for  fifty  dollars  a  claim 
on  the  island,  abandoning  one  that  we  already  held,  and  which 
afterwards  proved  by  far  the  more  valuable;  and  the  first  of 
the  week,  everything  being  in  readiness,  Tertium  mounted  the 
scaffold — Xumber  Four  took  his  station  at  the  handle  of  the 
rocker — I  assumed  the  responsible  office  of  feeder — and  our 
two  hired  men,  Capt.  Bill  being  sick  with  dysentery,  were 
appointed  hod  carriers  ;  the  said  hod  being  a  large  half-barrel 
slung  between  tw^o  poles,  and  weighing,  when  full  of  earth, 
about  as  much  as  three  baiTcls  of  flour. 

And  now  began  the  hardest  labour  I  ever  encountered — 
such  labour  as  tliat  must  be,  when  man  is  yoked,  as  it  were, 
together  with  a  lifeless  piece  of  mechanism,  and  compelled  to 
keep  time  to  its  undeviating  regularity.  Having  once  started 
there  was  no  cessation — the  rocker  must  rock — the  pumper 
must  pump — and  the  digger  must  dig,  as  if  life  depended  upon 
their  exertions, — the  only  rest  was  by  change  of  labour.  As 
one  hand  left  the  handle  of  the  machine,  another  slid  into  its 
place — the  one  at  the  pump  could  not  vacate  his  high  ofiice 
until  his  successor  had  already  mounted  the  scaffold,  and  the 
diggers  must  keep  ahead  of  us  all. 

"  More  dirt,  more  dirt,"  cries  the  feeder,  and  the  next 
moment  two  slender  figures  are  seen  rounding  the  corner  of 
the  hole,  and  tottering,  staggering,  half  running,  half  walking 
under  their  awkward  burden.  Their  poor  legs,  fit  only  for 
counter-jumping,  seem  fairly  to  bend  and  buckle  like  a  whale- 
bone, as  they  slip  and  stumble  over  the  uneven  path,  and  their 
faces,  like  our  own,  shrivel  under  the  fire  that  streams  from  the 
burning  sun  above,  and  burning  stones  below. 

We  rested  three  hours  at  noon,  and  finished  our  day's 
work  of  ten  hours  about  seven.  And  now  for  the  gold  ! — a 
hundred  hods  of  earth  had  passed  through  the  machine,  and 
out  of  that  quantity  it  should  have  digested  at  least  a  hundred 


1 


AND   Leaden   Realities  111 

dollars.  We  should  not  wonder  if  there  were  two  hundred, 
but  should  feel  satisfied,  as  it  was  the  first  day,  with  only 
one.  We  gathered  round,  we  three,  and  put  our  heads 
together  over  the  trough,  uuw  drawn  part  way  out  of  its 
place,  while  our  hired  men  peeped  respectfully  over  our 
shoulders. 

Tipping  the  rocker  first  to  one  side,  and  then  gently  re- 
versing the  position,  the  pure  liquid  quicksilver  ran  rapidly 
across  the  bottom,  while  the  amalgam  lingered  behind. 
Number  Four  scraped  it  up  with  his  fingers,  and  having 
squeezed  and  moulded  it  in  his  hand,  disclosed  to  our  view  a 
lump  about  as  big  as  a  bullet,  and  worth  three  or  four 
dollars. 

On  further  examination  we  found  that  several  pounds  of 
quicksilver  had  escaped  from  the  rocker  ;  and  as  this  was 
worth  quite  as  much  as  the  gold  we  had  obtained,  our  first 
day's  labour  left  us  just  one  ounce  in  debt."  None  but  an 
Irishman  could  get  rich  in  this  way,  so  we  betook  ourselves 
at  once  for  consolation  to  the  second  scientific  miner,  who 
somewhat  reassured  us  by  saying  that  it  was  no  more  than 
was  to  be  expected  ;  that  it  required  thirty  or  forty  dollars 
to  saturate  the  quicksilver,  which  it  seemed  Avould  do  nothing 
until  it  had  gorged  itself  to  repletion,  and  that  the  next  day 
we  should  do  better.  He  also  sent  one  of  his  company,  a 
young  gentleman  who,  either  because  he  had  very  long  legs, 
or  a  good  deal  of  whisker,  and  that  sort  of  nobility,  was 
called  Count  Eggenheim,  to  discover  the  secret  of  our  losing 
so  much  quicksilver.  The  Count  directed  us  to  set  the  rocker 
steeper,  and  rock  more  rapidly,  seventy  beats  to  a  minute  : 
and  these  various  alterations  effected  such  an  improvement 
that  we  made  the  next  day  twenty  dollars.  But  I  will  not 
weary  the  reader  with  a  more  continued  detail  ;  at  the  end 
of  five  days,  after  paying  for  our  hole  and  hired  labour,  we 
had  left  just  fifty  cents  apiece  ;  and  though  Capt.  Bill  still 
retained  something  of  his  early  predilection  for  our  patent 


112  GoLDEX    Dreams 

bee-hive,  the  rest  of  the  party  were  so  opposed  to  giving  it 
any  farther  trial,  that  the  whole  scheme  was  then  and 
there  abadoned. 

Subsequent  observation  convinced  us  that  we  were  right 
in  our  decision,  and  that  the  Virginia  rocker,  so  far  from 
'loing  what  it  had  been  represented,  was  in  no  respect  superior 
ti>  the  common  cradle,  while  its  great  size  and  weight  were 
very  serious  objections.  AYith  the  cradle  the  miner  was  per- 
fectly independent — he  moved  from  one  spot  to  another  at 
pleasure,  and  washed  only  the  richer  portions.  The  Virginia 
rocker,  on  the  other  hand,  was  comparatively  a  fixture,  and  to 
move  it  even  a  short  distance  so  arduous  an  operation  that  it 
was  avoided  as  long  as  possible. 

It  will  be  recollected  that  the  first  scientific  miner,  among 
other  arguments  in  favour  of  this  machine,  had  stated  that 
the  hemispherical  cakes  which  he  exhibited  had  been  obtained 
from  earth  that  had  already  been  through  the  common  cradle. 
We  now  learned  in  what  sense  these  words  were  to  be  un- 
derstood ;  a  miner  who  had  been  at  work  on  the  island  all 
the  time  the  company  had  their  machine  in  operation,  assured 
us  that  several  small  rockers  were  in  use  at  the  same  time, 
and  that  their  contents  had  been  twice  a  day  passed  through 
the  Virginia  rocker  for  the  purpose  of  separating  the  black 
sand  and  gold  by  amalgamation.  So  in  the  famous  partner- 
ship between  the  dwarf  and  the  giant,  the  giant  carried  off 
all  the  glory  from  his  humljle  companion — so  in  a  nest,  the 
big  glutton  starves  his  weaker  brethren,  and  so  always  the 
rich  absorbs  the  profit  for  which  the  poor  man  sweats. 

But  it  was  a  comfort  to  know  that,  after  all,  the  scientific 
miner  had  told  nothing  but  the  truth,  though  his  distance 
from  the  scene  of  operations  and  his  scientific  method  of 
viewing  matters  had  kept  him  in  ignorance  of  some  important 
particulars.  Tiie  company  of  which  he  was  chief  proved 
their  own  faith  in  the  machines  by  subsequently  setting  up 
ten  of  them  on  the  island  in  a  single  body  ;    water  was 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  113 

brought  on  in  a  flood  bj  means  of  a  trough  several  hundred 
feet  long,  and  a  waterwheel  erected  at  an  expense  of  three 
or  four  thousand  dollars,  to  rock  the  machines,  though  the 
same  labour  could  have  been  performed  far  better  and  cheaper ' 
by  hand.  Then'  whole  object  seemed  to  be  to  wash  as  much 
earth  as  possible,  or  rather  to  force  it  through  the  rocker. 
They  worked  m  this  distracted  manner  only  a  short  time  ; 
when  the  rainy  season  set  in,  their  waterwheel  was  washed 
away — the  company  was  dispersed,  their  state  and  magnifi- 
cence forgotten,  and  all  their  thousand  machines  might  have 
been  bought  for  a  song. 

Mowbray  had  watched  the  progress  of  their  experiment 
with  intense  solicitude,  either  because  he  was  a  silent  partner 
in  the  concern,  or  because  he  intended,  if  they  were  successful, 
to  make  his  fortune  in  the  same  way. 

About  this  time  he  bought  a  pair  of  mules  and  a  large 
wagon,  and  filling  it  with  stores  set  out  on  a  prospecting 
expedition  through  the  northern  mines,  accompanied  by  his 
trusty  body-servant  Friday.  It  was  usual  in  the  mines,  when 
one  went  a  prospecting,  for  him  to  sling  his  blanket  on  his 
back,  and,  with  his  pick  in  one  hand  and  his  shovel  in  the 
other,  creep  slowly  up  and  down  the  rivers,  sleeping  at  night 
on  a  rock,  and  solacing  his  labour  with  a  slice  of  salt  pork 
and  a  bit  of  biscuit.  If  his  journey  were  long,  and  he  were 
able  to  afford  the  expense,  he  would  sometimes  aspire  to  the 
dignity  of  a  mule  to  transport  his  tools  and  provisions,  and 
perhaps  himself  ;  but  it  was  reserved  for  Mowbray  to 
introduce  so  magnificent  an  innovation.  He  returned  in  a 
few  weeks  with  an  account  of  a  rich  bar  he  had  visited  on 
the  Yuba,  where  claims  had  been  offered  him  at  a  price 
so  monstrous  that  they  must  needs  be  of  extraordinary  value. 
Nothing,  however,  could  be  done  till  spring,  and  in  the  mean- 
time he  thought  he  should  find  the  south  of  California  or  the 
Sandwich  Islands  a  much  more  agreeable  residence  than  the 
mines.     He  accordingly  sold  his  house,  his  mules,  his  provi- 


114  Golden    Dreams 

sions,  and  everything  else  for  which  he  could  find  a  purchaser, 
and  turned  his  back  on  the  mines,  I  believe  for  ever.  Over- 
Avhelming  as  was  the  contrast  between  the  beginning  and  the 
end  of  his  adventures,  he  would  yet  have  been,  if  he  had  suc- 
ceeded, even  more  remarkable,  and  almost  the  only  one  of  his 
class.  The  respectable  Busby's  sarcastic  depreciation  of  edu- 
cated men  found  but  too  many  striking  instances  in  California. 
Of  all  with  whom  I  became  acquainted,  I  remember  only  one 
or  two  who  were  finally  successful  in  mining ;  they  either 
never  made  anything,  or  were  sure  to  throw  it  away  on 
some  monstrous  project  that  would  never  have  occurred  to 
any  one  else. 

To  return  from  this  digression,  which  has  led  us  several 
weeks  in  advance  of  our  story.  Our  party  was  not  the  only 
one  that  had  stumbled  over  tlie  Virginia  rocker.  It  had 
found  its  way  into  all  parts  of  the  mines  ;  Capt.  Fayre- 
weather,  at  Coloma,  though  already  provided  with  the  most 
ingenious  invention  of  his  wary  Nantucketer,  had  wasted 
time  and  money  on  this  more  pretentious  novelty  ;  and  in 
our  own  neighbourhood  several  parties  had  discarded  it,  as 
we  had  done,  after  a  longer  or  shorter  trial. 

A  small  company  of  Bostonians,  who  had  pitched  their 
tent  just  in  front  of  our  door,  and  afterwards  assisted  in 
working  our  machine,  were  among  the  most  unfortunate. 
They,  too,  had  been  so  happy  as  to  make  the  acquaintance 
of  the  scientific  miner  ;  and  it  so  happened,  oddly  enough, 
that  their  energy  and  intelligence  had  also  excited  his  admir- 
ation. They  had  bought  the  machine,  and  in  their  anxiety 
to  secure  so  invaluable  a  treasure,  had  actually  paid  for  it  in 
advance  ;  and  furthermore,  sent  one  of  their  number  on  to 
Mormon  Island  to  select  a  favourable  spot  for  its  operation. 
He  remained  at  the  island  several  weeks,  boai'ding  at  an 
expense  of  three  dollars  a  day,  and  when  his  companions 
arrived,  led  them  triumphantly  to  the  claim  he  had  so  vigi- 
lantly maintained.     But  as,  unfortunately,  he  had  not  thought 


AND    Lead!:n    Realities.  115 

it  necessary  to  make  any  comjiarative  trial  of  its  value,  con- 
tenting himself  with  washing  a  few  pausful  a  day  in  order  to 
hold  possession,  the  claim  turned  out  to  be  good  for  nothing ; 
■while  twenty  others  that  had  been  subsequently  appropriated 
were  paying  very  handsome  dividends.  They  continued,  how- 
ever, to  work  their  machine  for  more  than  a  month,  but 
finally  abandoned  it,  as  we  had  done,  though,  as  might  have 
been  expected,  with  yet  greater  reluctance 

A  little  incident  that  occuiTed  while  we  were  yet  at  work 
on  the  island,  will  admirably  illustrate  the  strange  vicissitudes 
of  California  adventure. 

Three  men  who  left  home  after  we  did,  but  had  been  in 
the  mines  long  enough  to  make  their  piles,  and  were  now 
returning,  stopped  a  moment  ou  their  way  to  visit  the  island. 
While  they  stood  observing  our  operations  with  complacent 
curiosity,  a  second  party  approached,  among  whom  they 
recognised  several  of  their  acquaintance  who  had  left  home 
in  the  same  ship  with  themselves,  but  had  been  delayed,  they 
knew  not  how  long,  on  the  isthmus.  They  had,  in  fact,  just 
arrived,  and  were  now  anxiously  inquiring  where  they  could 
find  the  best  diggings.  Their  more  fortunate  associates,  with 
a  disinterested  benevolence  that  did  them  infinite  credit,  gave 
them  all  the  information  in  their  power,  and  even  described 
minutely  the  very  spot  where  they  themselves  had  taken  out 
theu*  thousands,  whereby  the  others  could  not  help  being 
greatly  comforted  and  encouraged. 

As  they  turned  away,  "Ah,  sighed  Number  Four,  who, 
like  myself,  had  dabbled  a  little  in  Spanish,  "Ah,  lo  que  es  el 
mundo  !"  while  Tertium  hummed, 

"  The  race  is  not  forever  got  by  them  that  fastest  runs, 
Nor  the  battle  by  those  people  that  shoot  with  the  longest  guns." 


IIG  Golden    Dreams 


CHAPTER  XII. 

OUR  scientific  macliine — the  great  Yirgiuia  Burke  rocker — 
tbe  patent  bee-bivc,  from  which  we  had  expected  to  take 
every  day  at  least  two  pounds  of  the  precious  conib — was 
now  nothing  but  so  much  useless  lumber. 

Capt.  Bill  could  not  bear  this  unexpected  reverse  ;  he  had 
set  his  heart  upon  the  Burke  rocker,  and  could  never  descend 
to  the  common  cradle.  ^Mining  with  the  one  was  honourable ; 
with  the  other,  base  and  contemptible.  It  was  as  if  one  should 
descend  from  the  dignity  of  a  horse  and  wagon  to  a  hand- 
cart, or  as  if  the  captain  of  a  Liverpool  packet  should  decline 
into  the  skipper  of  a  fishing-smack.  From  this  time  mining 
lost  its  charms,  and  a  favourable  opportunity  presenting  itself 
about  the  middle  of  October,  he  accepted  a  situation  as  clerk 
in  one  of  the  mining  districts,  at  a  salary  of  three  hundred 
dollars  a  month  and  his  board  ;  thus  depriving  us,  at  once 
and  forever,  of  all  that  advantage  we  had  hoped  to  derive 
from  so  propitious  an  alliance.  His  good  fortune  excited  no 
envy,  for  the  mines  were  still  untried. 

After  his  departure  our  little  company,  now  reduced  to 
its  Original  number,  was  conducted  on  a  diifercnt  principle, 
our  gains  being  no  longer  shared  in  common.  Number  Four 
Itought  a  cradle  on  his  own  account,  together  with  a  hole,  a 
crowbar,  a  shovel,  and  a  cheese-box  ;  wliile  Tertium  and  my- 
self still  continued  in  partnership.  We  also  bought  a  cradle 
of  sheet-iron,  for  which  we  had  to  pay  seventy  dollars  ;  and 
after  one  or  two  trials  of  difTerent  localities,  we  settled  down 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  117 

on  the  same  part  of  the  bank  where  we  had  made  onr  first 
experiment  with  the  pan.  The  bank  hez'e  as  elsewhere  was 
high  and  steep,  consisting  of  an  irregular  ledge  of  soft  granite 
that  had  been  originally  covered  with  a  thin  coat  of  soil,  but 
was  now,  for  a  width  of  forty  or  fifty  feet  from  the  water, 
picked  as  clean  as  the  bones  of  a  thanksgiving  turkey. 
Owing  to  this  circumstance  we  seldom  remained  long  in  one 
place  ;  but,  like  Ijone  and  rag-pickers  hurrying  from  one 
barrel  to  another,  we  gleaned  a  bit  here  and  a  bit  there, 
comforting  ourselves  with  the  hope  of  suddenly  lighting  upon 
some  of  those  rich  deposits  of  which  we  had  heard  such 
seductive  stories,  just  as  the  magnanimous  gentry  last  men- 
tioned are  forever  soothed  and  excited  by  a  pleasing  delusion 
of  silver  spoons  and  gold  watches. 

So  we  worked  all  the  rest  of  the  month,  making  about 
twenty  dollars  a  day,  on  the  solitary  bank  of  the  river,  listen- 
ing soberly  to  the  eternal  bass  of  its  waters,  and  the  sharp, 
sudden  crash  of  some  distant  rocker  keeping  faithful  time  to 
the  beating  of  its  master's  heart. 

There  was  then  no  laughing  in  California  ;  everybody  was 
terribly  in  earnest,  and  a  settled  look  of  more  than  Puritanic 
severity  was  in  every  face.  There  was  such  depth  of  passion 
that  only  the  fiercest  commotion  could  stir  up  the  bubble 
laughter  from  the  bottom  of  the  heart  ;  and,  for  my  own 
part,  I  seem  almost  entirely  to  have  lost  that  human  faculty, 
as  if  I  had  tarried  too  long  in  the  cave  of  Trephonius. 

The  extraordinary  sickness  that  prevailed  during  that 
season  may  partially  account  for  this  all-pervading  austerity  ; 
hardly  a  tent  in  which  there  was  not  one  prostrated  by  scurvy 
or  dysentery — hardly  a  miner  who  had  not  suffered  in  his  own 
person  from  one  or  both  of  these  dreadful  diseases.  Every 
one  of  our  own  party  had  been  attacked  at  different  times 
and  with  different  degrees  of  severity  ;  but  I  was  the  most 
unfortunate.  It  was  several  months  before  I  found  any  relief 
either  from  medicine  or  change  in  diet,  and  during  the  whole 


118  rj  O  L  D  K  N     D  R  E  A  M  S 

ol'  iny  fu-.-t  year  in  tlie  mines  I  was  never  free  from  apprehen- 
sions, the  least  impriiclence  being  sufficient  to  bring  on  a 
relapse. 

We  had  thus  far  enjoyed  uninterrupted  fine  weather, — 
a  few  drops  only  of  rain  had  fallen  through  the  whole  of 
October  ;  but  November  was  ushered  in  under  very  different 
conditions.  The  little  party  of  Bostouians,  our  next  door 
neighbours,  who  had  been  for  some  time  preparing  to  move 
into  the  dry  diggings,  had  hardly  stowed  the  last  of  their 
baggage  in  the  wagon,  when  a  sullen  shower  commenced,  that 
quenched  at  once  their  deserted  camp-fire,  and  continued 
almost  without  cessation  for  a  whole  week.  The  conical 
firmament  of  our  tent,  usually  almost  transparent  in  its  bright- 
ness, except  when  fleckered  with  the  dancing  shadow  of  the 
leaves,  now  assumed  a  uniform,  leaden  and  opaque  hue,  cor- 
responding to  the  lowering  character  of  the  sky.  Heavy 
drops  collected  on  the  inside,  and,  rolling  half-way  down,  fell 
maliciously  on  our  heads.  Sitting  on  our  low  bedsteads,  with 
knees  drawn  up  to  the  chin,  we  shrank  into  the  smallest  pos- 
sible compass  ;  while  we  found  a  whimsical  amusement  in 
wondering  where  the  next  drop  would  fall,  and  in  rallying 
each  other  on  our  involuntary  contortions.  Mowbray,  and  a 
Dr.  Collyer,  with  whom  we  had  been  some  time  acquainted, 
were  now  almost  our  only  visitors.  The  latter,  a  middle-aged 
man,  of  a  peculiarly  sour  and  morose  temper,  seemed  to  find 
no  euiployracnt  so  congenial  as  grumbling,  and  the  subjects 
on  which  he  most  delighted  to  expatiate  were  California  and 
the  Burke  rocker. 

""Well,  gentlemen,"  he  would  exclaim,  with  nasal  bitter- 
ness, "  California  is  a  miserable  country,  a  very  poor  country; 
it  is  as  much  as  a  man's  life  is  worth  to  remain  here  through 
the  winter  ;"  and  then,  hke  Sairy  Gamp,  to  give  greater  em- 
phasis to  his  words,  he  would  reverse  the  objurgatory  phrase 
till  he  had  run  it  through  all  its  changes,  while  we,  in  our 
feeble  way,  echoed  assent  to  every  one  of  hie  propositions, 


AXD    Leaden    Realities,  119 

glad  to  find  one  who  understood  so  thoroughly  the  true 
merits  of  the  question. 

Mowljray,  on  the  other  hand,  never  very  talkative  or 
vivacious,  and  now  doubly  oppressed  by  the  untoward  aspect 
of  the  weather  and  the  uncertainty  of  his  future  movements, 
hardly  spoke  except  in  monosyllables. 

Cooking,  in  such  weather,  was  plainly  impossible;  and  the 
ship-bread  and  molasses  to  which  we  were  consequently 
reduced,  were  never  very  thankfully  received.  Once,  indeed, 
during  a  brief  lull  in  the  storm,  I  ventured  out,  and  succeeded 
in  boiling  a  pot  of  coffee  and  iu  frying  a  little  pork,  and  these 
two  smoking  dishes  somewhat  dispelled  the  chill  that  was 
creeping  over  us. 

The  fifth  night  the  storm  increased.  The  wind  blew  with 
fearful  violence,  and  drove  the  rain  in  sheets  through  that 
side  of  the  tent  most  exposed  to  its  fury.  Tertium  was 
awakened  by  a  choking  sensation,  and  found  himself  lymg 
with  his  face  in  a  puddle  of  water  almost  deep  enough  to 
drown  him.  On  my  side  it  was  rather  better  ;  my  outer 
blankets  were  thoroughly  saturated,  but  the  inner  one  still 
remained  tolerably  dry. 

The  tent  writhed  and  struggled  with  the  tempest.  The 
fastenings  on  one  side  at  length  gave  out,  and  as  it  flapped 
its  wet  and  clinging  folds  about  our  faces,  we  expected  every 
moment  to  hear  it  fly  bodily  away,  leaving  us  entirely  ex- 
posed to  the  pelting  of  the  pitiless  storm.  We  were  finally 
compelled  to  leave  our  beds,  and  leaning  against  the  bags 
and  boxes  in  the  middle  of  the  tent,  we  fell  asleep,  like  the 
ship-boy  on  the  high  and  giddy  mast,  in  all  that  elemental 
uproar. 

Returning  sunshine  wrought  a  wondrous  alteration  in  our 
feelings.  The  country,  always  beautiful,  now  presented  a  still 
more  attractive  appearance.  After  months  of  drought  and 
dust.  Nature  seemed  to  have  washed  her  face  and  put  on  her 
best  attire,  while  the  birds  singing  in  every  tree,  and  the  fresh 


120  Golden    Dukam^ 

greea  of  the  shooting  grass,  were  far  more  suggestive  of  May 
thau  of  Xovember. 

The  fine  weather,  liowever,  brouglit  with  it  one  disagree- 
able necessity — that  of  working  without  kuowing  where  we 
could  do  it  to  advantage.  There  were,  indeed,  plenty  of 
places  where  we  could  make  five  dollars  a  day,  but  we  were 
not  yet,  thank  heaven,  reduced  to  that  extremity.  AYe  had 
sunk  our  expectations  from  thousands  to  hundreds,  and  were 
willing  to  work  for  any  reasonable  compensation  ;  but  there 
was  a  point  at  which  such  poverty  of  spirit  ceased  to  be  a 
virtue.  We  were  confirmed  in  this  lofty  temper  by  hopes  of 
what  we  would  do  in  the  spring.  There  were  other  rivers  not 
yet  so  completely  turned  over  as  the  South  Fork,  and  other 
places  not  so  entirely  worn  out  as  Mormon  Island  ;  we  would 
be  among  the  first  to  force  our  way  into  these  new  diggings, 
when  we  should  easily  make  up  for  all  we  had  lost. 

In  the  meantime  the  best  thing  we  could  do  v."as  to  make 
ourselves  as  comfortable  as  possible  ;  and  our  late  exi)erience 
had  shown  that  to  this  end  nothing  was  so  essential  as  a  fire 
in  rainy  weather.  Our  neighbours  had  generally  effected  this 
by  building  a  heavy  chimney  of  stones  and  earth  against  one 
side  of  their  tents  ;  but,  aside  from  the  difiiculty  of  such  an 
undertaking,  the  quantity  of  fuel  that  would  be  thus  required 
was  a  very  serious  objection.  We  thought  ourselves,  there- 
fore, very  fortunate  in  obtaining  a  small  sheet-iron  stove  of 
tl'.e  rudest  construction,  that  had  been  manufactured  the  pre- 
ceding year  for  a  trader  in  the  village,  for  the  very  moderate 
snm  of  two  hundred  and  eighty  dollars.  On  bringing  it 
liome.  we  found  no  room  for  it  in  the  tent,  except  just  within 
the  door,  where  it  stood  like  a  sturdy  little  three-legged 
Dutchman,  valiantly  presenting  its  gaping  blunderbuss  of  a 
funnel  in  the  very  face  and  eyes  of  the  audacious  intruder, 
who  verily  thou;_''ht  that  if  he  esca})ed  being  blown  to  pieces, 
he  should  infallibly  be  suffocated  by  its  pestilent  fumes.  To 
tell  the  truth,  however,  greater  part  of  the  smoke  made  its 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  121 

way  ciirectly  back  iuto  the  tent,  when  it  seemed  to  find  huge 
delight  in  circling  round  a  hornet's  nest  in  the  very  summit 
of  the  sugar-loaf,  and  to  wonder  strangely  that  it  could  not  get 
out ;  till  Tertium  happily  conceived  the  idea  of  fitting  an  old 
boot  bereft  of  its  toe,  on  to  the  other  end  of  the  funnel,  after 
which  the  smoke  found  no  difficulty  in  walking  in  a  different 
direction. 

Mowbray  having  determined  to  leave  the  mines,  we  seized 
the  opportunity  of  laying  in  a  stock  of  winter  provisions. 
We  bought  half  a  barrel  of  sour  flour,  the  same  quantity 
of  syrup,  of  sugar  and  salt  pork,  together  with  half-a-dozen 
Dutch  cheeses,  as  many  boxes  of  sardines,  fifty  pounds  of 
soda  crackers,  and  a  variety  of  smaller  articles. 

All  this  wealth  added  to  what  we  had  before,  rendered  a 
larger  tent  indispensable  ;  and  as  we  could  find  none  for  sale 
in  the  vicinity,  I  went  with  Number  Four  to  examine  one  be- 
longing to  a  man  on  the  North  Fork. 

It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  beauty  and  glory  of  Cali- 
fornia at  that  fine  season.  The  crisp  frosty  air  of  the  morning 
is  quickly  succeeded  by  a  warm  hazy  glow  resembling  that  of 
our  Indian  summer.  It  is  not  summer,  nor  spring,  nor 
autumn,  but  a  most  artful  and  delicious  combination  of  all 
three.  The  country  is  an  endless  succession  of  hills,  whose 
distant  slopes  remind  one  continually  of  thrifty  apple  orchards, 
while  from  every  summit  a  prospect  is  presented  apparently 
out  of  all  proportion  to  the  trifling  elevation. 

Our  course  led  us  first  a  mile  down  the  South  Fork  to 
where  it  unites  with  the  North  to  form  the  American  river  ; 
crossing  the  boiling  current  in  a  dug-out,  we  ascended  the 
steep-hill  on  the  other  side,  and  walking  a  few  rods  up  the 
North  Fork,  came  to  the  store  where  our  old  friend  Capt.  Bill 
was  clerk.  It  was  a  log-house,  long  and  low,  and  divided  into 
two  apartments,  one  of  which  served  for  the  store,  and  the 
other  for  a  dining-room.  A  large  number  of  miners  were  at 
work  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  some  of  them  boarded  at 
6 


122  G  O  L  D  n  N     D  K  E  A  M  s 

this  establishment  ;  wliich  tliiis  uuitL-d  ibe  dignity  of  a 
grocery  or  variety  store  to  that  of  a  village  tavern. 

The  salutations  and  inquiries  usual  on  such  occasions 
were  followed  by  the  never-failing  invitation,  "Well,  boys, 
what  'ill  you  take  to  drink  ?"  and  an  enumeration  of  all 
the  various  liquors  sup^josed  to  be  suited  to  our  different 
palates. 

We  had  not  then,  however,  been  long  enough  iu  the 
country  to  accommodate  ourselves  to  this  fashion  ;  and  soon 
after,  continuing  our  walk,  we  came  in  a  few  minutes  to  the  tent 
of  which  we  were  in  search.  Finding  it  to  our  liking,  we 
weighed  out  two-and-a-half  ounces,  and  at  once  set  out  on 
our  return,  with  the  tent  on  our  shoulders,  stopping  every 
now  and  then  to  call  each  other's  attention  to  some  prospect 
of  unusual  beauty — to  the  hares  and  squirrels  that  sported 
carelessly  among  the  rocks — or  to  the  stri2')ed  acorns  that 
covered  the  ground  almost  as  long  and  taper  as  a  lady's 
finger. 

The  next  day,  in  spite  of  the  threatening  sky,  we  went  to 
prospect  some  ravines  four  miles  from  the  island  on  the  Sacra- 
mento road.  Dr.  Collyer  had  already  moved  to  this  locality 
and  had  promised  to  send  us  word  if  he  found  it  favourable 
for  mining  ;  but  as  we  heard  nothing  from  him,  we  determined 
to  make  a  personal  examination.  The  walk,  though  totally 
unlike  that  of  the  day  before,  was  in  some  respects  even  more 
agreeable.  Far  to  the  left  a  range  of  low  hills  seemed  to 
hold  up  the  sky,  while  the  leaden  clouds,  oozing  down  between, 
communicated  their  own  dark  mysterious  hue  to  the  softened 
slopes  and  winding  valleys. 

On  arriving  at  his  tent,  which  was  pitched  in  a  very  damp, 
unwholesome  ravine,  we  found  the  doctor  was  not  at  home  ; 
but  keeping  on  from  one  gulch  to  another  we  at  last  spied  his 
hat  just  dodging  beliind  a  bank  of  earth  in  which  he  was  at 
work.  He  seemed  far  more  surprised  than  pleased  at  our 
sudden  advent,  and  after  a  few  moments'  conversation,  sud- 


i 


AND   Leaden   Realities.  123 

denly  jerking  out  his  watch,  exclaimed,  "Well,  it's  nearly 
twelve,  and  I  must  be  going  home  to  dinner  ;  good  morning, 
gentlemen,"  and  away  he  hurried,  leaving  xis  divided  between 
laughter  and  indignation  ;  but  inwardly  resolving  that  it  must 
be  a  very  bad  conscience  indeed  that  could  put  a  watch  a 
whole  hour  out  of  the  way.  After  his  unceremonious  depart- 
ure we  continued  to  prospect  the  ravines  in  the  neighbourhood, 
but  found  none  worth  coming  so  far  to  seek  There  was  very 
little  water  running  in  any  of  them,  and  the  two  or  three 
miners  we  saw  at  work  were  obliged  to  use  the  same  scanty 
supply  till  it  became  too  muddy  to  answer  the  purpose. 

We  spent  the  next  three  or  four  days  in  putting  up  oar 
new  tent  and  arranging  the  furniture  within  ;  for,  as  we  ex- 
pected to  remain  here  several  months,  we  did  everything  in 
the  most  substantial  manner.  The  tent  itself  was  nearly 
square,  being  twelve  feet  wide  and  fifteen  feet  long.  Xear 
the  two  sides,  which  were  about  three  feet  in  height,  we  set 
several  thick  posts  with  stout  crotches  at  the  top,  and  laid  in 
these  heavy  logs  to  which  vre  secured  the  ropes  that  served 
to  stretch  the  roof.  As  the  tent  was  made  of  cotton  drilling 
which  we  had  already  found  insufficient  to  keep  out  the  rain, 
we  bought  cloth  enough  to  make  a  second  roof,  called  a 
fly,  which  we  stretched  over  the  first,  leaving  a  space  of 
several  inches  between.  The  ridgepole,  which  was  formed  of 
the  spouts  belonging  to  the  Burke  rocker,  and  projected  at 
each  end  beyond  the  roof,  was  supported  by  the  tall  stumps 
of  two  oaks  we  had  cut  off  for  the  purpose,  and  was  also 
strengthened  in  the  middle  by  a  pole  passing  through  the 
centre  of  our  little  table.  The  whole  was  surrounded  on 
every  side  but  one  by  a  thick  array  of  branches,  like  a  che- 
vaux-fle-frize,  that  broke  the  force  of  the  wind,  and  imparted 
an  appearance  of  great  snugness  and  security. 

The  stove  thrust  its  pipe  out  of  one  of  the  gables,  just  at 
the  left  of  the  door,  and  smoked  away  right  lustily,  day  and 
night,  as  if  conscious  that  a  good  deal  depended  upon  its 


124  GoLDE.N'    Dreams 

vigilance  aud  fidelity.  Altogether  our  new  abode  was  of  a  very 
picturesque  character,  and  I  doubt  not  that  many  a  humdrum 
citizen,  yawning  fearfully  in  his  luxurious  apartments,  would 
consider  it  a  very  desirable  residence — for  a  single  day. 

The  interior  was  fitted  up  in  a  style  of  corresponding  sim- 
plicity and  elegance.  A  dry-goods'  box  that  stood  on  end 
between  the  door  and  stove,  and  did  duty  as  a  sideboard, 
seemed  to  give  an  air  of  dignity  and  refinement  to  the  apart- 
ment. It  may  not  be  in  very  good  taste  to  parade  the  price 
of  one's  furniture  ;  but  as  I  know  that  many,  at  the  present 
day  especially,  are  apt  to  be  curious  in  such  matters,  I  will 
simply  mention  that  our  sideboard,  though  of  pine,  could  not 
have  been  bought  for  less  than  fifty  dollars. 

Half  a  dozen  tin  plates  and  dippers — we  could  have  had 
gold  if  we  had  pleased,  but  that  was  too  common — two  or 
three  pans  and  pewter  mugs — a  large  tin  pail  for  making 
soup — a  frying  pan  and  coffee-pot,  together  with  a  squad  of 
battered  boxes  that  had  once  contained  sardines  or  preserved 
meats,  composed  the  list  of  our  culinary  utensils. 

We  had  been  sometime  seeking  to  add  a  stewpan  to  our 
possessions,  and  meeting  one  day  a  party  who  were  about 
leaving  the  mines,  we  inquired  if  they  had  such  an  article  to 
dispose  of.  In  reply  they  introduced  us  to  a  coffee-pot  as  tall 
as  a  two-year-old  infant,  and  lifting  the  lid,  Number  Four 
peered  curiously  down  into  the  capacious  interior,  as  into  the 
crater  of  an  extinct  volcano.  It  was  a  perfect  geological 
curiosity.  Beef,  pork,  beans,  rice,  potatoes,  and  onions,  lying 
in  distmct  strata,  or  mingled  into  a  dense  conglomerate,  rose 
half  way  to  the  top,  while  a  faint  and  steamy  odour  from  all 
these  various  ingredients  drove  us  back  as  from  the  witches' 
cauldron. 

At  the  foot  of  one  of  our  beds  and  in  the  centre  of  the  tent, 
stood  the  table — a  few  boards  laid  on  the  top  of  a  flour  bar- 
rel ;  the  corner  behind  the  door  was  used  as  a  store  room  for  our 
provisions,  while  all  the  remaining  space  was  occupied  by  our 


AND   Leaden   Realities.  125 

beds.  These  were  framed  of  sticks  and  grapevines,  and 
covered,  instead  of  a  inattrass,  with  grass  and  moss  ;  we 
carpeted  the  floor  with  the  same  material,  and  then,  having 
exhausted  our  ingenuity,  had  nothing  left  to  do  but  run  in  and 
out,  and  admire  our  own  handiwork. 

Many  trifling  improvements  were  suosequently  added  dur- 
ing the  tiresome  monotony  of  stormy  weather.  Tertium  fitted 
the  sideboard  with  shelves  and  a  swinging  door,  and  paved 
the  space  around  the  stove  with  smooth  stones.  He  contrived 
a  fastening  for  the  door  so  artfully  that  he  could  not  open  it 
himself  in  less  than  half  an  hour,  and  even  canned  his  ingenuity 
so  far  as  to  make  a  pair  of  bellows  that  blew  equally  well  on 
all  sides  at  once.  I  succeeded  in  manufacturing  a  pair  of 
tongs  out  of  an  iron  hoop,  and  then  undertook  to  build  an 
oven,  but  desisted  after  labouring  at  it  several  weeks,  by  which 
time  it  bid  fair  to  rival  the  biggest  of  the  Egyptian  p}Ta- 
mids. 

Thanksgiving  came  as  usual,  and  found  us  still  in  the 
bustle  of  house-building,  but  as  we  had  been  invited  to  dine 
out,  we  did  not  intermit  our  labours  till  noon,  when  we  dressed 
ourselves  in  our  cleanest  shirts,  and  walked  over  to  our  en- 
tertainers. 

The  party  to  which  we  would  now  introduce  the  reader 
had  been  some  time  our  neai'est  neighbours,  and  since  the 
departure  of  all  our  other  acquaintance,  we  had  contracted  a 
sudden  intimacy  which  afterwards  ripened,  with  one  of  them 
at  least,  into  a  lasting  friendship. 

Colonel  Oldbuck,  the  eldest  of  tue  party,  was  a  man  of 
about  the  middle  size,  with  a  neck  much  too  large  and  long 
for  his  body,  and  which  seemed  to  have  bulged  out  a  little  at 
the  top  in  order  to  form  a  head.  He  had  a  narrow  rounded 
forehead,  thick  features,  and  a  bilious  complexion.  His  voice 
was  very  agreeable,  and  like  his  walk,  slow  and  measured. 
Even  when  in  a  passion,  and  he  was  a  very  choleric  individual, 
he  never  lost  this  advantage,  and  would  bespatter  his  adver- 


126  G  O  L  D  E  N     D  K  E  A  M  S 

sary  ;vitli  all  the  unsavoury  epithets  at  his  call  without  rising 
for  a  moment  above  the  imposing  barrytone  of  his  ordinary 
conversation.  The  same  peculiarity  was  discovered  in  the 
self-sufficiency  that  v/as  his  most  notable  characteristic.  His 
conceit  was  none  of  your  vulgar  blustering  sort,  clamorously 
betraying  its  own  weakness,  but,  on  the  contrary,  it  was  ex- 
ceedingly quiet  and  genteel,  and  if  it  is  not  a  contradiction, 
modest  and  unassuming.  It  was  undoubtedly  this  very  thing 
that  made  it  so  effective.  It  came  upon  you  before  you  were 
aware — it  aroused  no  opposition — excited  no  suspicion.  A 
nearer  acquaintance  discovered  that  in  spite  of  this  seeming 
moderation,  it  was  really  most  grasping  and  comprehensive. 
Xothing  was  too  high  for  it,  or  too  low — it  pervaded  his 
whole  being,  and  seemed  to  envelope  liim,  wherever  he  went, 
like  a  cloud. 

At  home  he  had  been  a  man  of  very  extensive  influence, 
and  the  scene  that  was  enacted  at  his  departure  somewhat 
resembled  the  parting  of  Washington  and  his  army.  The 
tears  which  were  shed  on  that  occasion,  as  a  distinguished 
orator  observed,  after  falling  and  watering  the  earth,  ascended 
magnanimously  and  triumphantly  into  the  firmament,  when 
they  marshalled  themselves  into  a  cloud  that  should  accom- 
pany their  hero  in  all  his  wanderings. 

Though  only  a  farmer  and  country  trader,  the  redoubtable 
Oldbnck  had,  by  sheer  force  of  genius,  attained  the  office  of 
Justice  of  the  Peace — Colonel  in  the  state  militia,  and  others 
equally  responsible.  No  one  could  read  the  Declaration  of 
Independence  so  touchingly  as  he,  or  was  so  popular  an  orator 
at  cattle  shows  and  country  fairs.  His  fellow-citizens  were 
even  now  impatiently  awaiting  his  return  that  they  might 
hear  from  his  lips  how  much  to  believe  of  that  mighty  humbug 
that  was  now  convulsing  the  Avliole  world.  He  had  distin- 
guished himself  no  less  in  his  military  capacity.  "We  listened 
to  his  simple,  unpretending  narrative  of  his  heroic  exploits 
with  thrilling  interest,  and  each  in  his  heart  wished   that 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  127 

heaven  had  made  him  sucli  a  man,  when  we  saw  in  fancy,  tlie 
keen  edge  of  his  ruthless  sword  describing  a  horrid  circle  in 
the  air,  and  then,  at  one  tremendous  blow,  cutting  hi  twain  the 
unhappy  watermelon,  if  it  should  not  rather  be  considered  happy 
in  so  glorious  a  death — held  meanwhile  between  the  hands  of 
one  of  his  compeers.  This  performance  was  a  happy  union  of 
the  achievements  of  both  Richard  and  Saladin,  demanding  for 
its  successful  execution,  the  ponderous  strength  of  the  one,  and 
marvellous  sleight  of  hand  of  the  other  ;  and  it  carried  me 
back  to  the  chivalrous  times  of  those  glorious  old  Knicker- 
bockers, who  erewhile  waged  such  doubtful  war  with  those 
pestilent  pumpkins. 

The  same  noble  ambition  that  had  carried  our  hero  to 
such  heights  of  fame  at  home  still  bnrned  in  his  heart,  inci- 
ting him  to  gain  fresh  laurels  in  this  new  field  of  action. 
During  his  stay  at  Mormon  Island  an  election  was  held  for 
alcalde,  and  by  the  advice,  or,  as  he  would  say,  the  urgent 
entreaty  of  many  of  his  friends,  the  Colonel  proposed  himself 
as  a  candidate.  But  though  he  arrayed  himself  for  the 
occasion  in  an  imposing  suit,  consisting  of  a,  blue  jacket  that 
came  half-way  up  to  his  shoulders,  and  a  jjair  of  tight  trovv- 
sers  that  came  half-way  up  to  his  knees,  and  in  this  guise 
walked  up  and  down  before  the  crowd  of  admiring  fellow- 
citizens  assembled  at  the  polls,  he,  for  some  reason  I  could 
never  fathom,  failed  to  produce  his  wonted  impression  ;  and 
the  office,  to  his  infinite  mortification,  was  given  to  another. 

In  addition  to  his  other  good  qualities.  Colonel  Oldbuck 
was  an  excellent  mimic — told  a  good  story,  with  broad  Dutch 
humour — and  was  in  fact  a  very  entertaining  companion.  He 
occupied  the  post  of  honour  at  our  little  table. 

Crowded  up  into  one  corner  of  the  tent — his  corner — sat 
a  shy,  quiet  Scotchman,  who  read  incessantly,  except  when 
working  and  sleeping,  and  lived  in  a  perpetual  atmosphere  of 
snuff. 

The  third,  and  much  the  youngest  of  the  party,  was  a 


128  Golden    Dreams. 

little  doctor,  who  signed  his  name  with  a  vanity  to  be  par- 
doned in  no  one  else,  C.  Fox  Browne.  As  doctors  were 
plenty  in  California,  and  we  ourselves  became  acciuainted  with 
no  ks.3  than  four  bearing  this  ancient  and  honouraljle  cogno- 
men, some  such  distinction  seemed  necessary.  But  among  his 
friends  our  doctor  needed  no  such  meretricious  addition  ;  his 
plain  Charles  Browne  was  better  than  the  tandem  titles  of 
the  most  name-tormenting  pedigree. 

Any  one,  on  slight  acquaintance,  might  have  been  inclined 
to  charge  him  with  vanity.  But  if  so,  vanity  with  him  was 
elevated  and  ennobled  into  a  virtue.  Xo  one  could  possibly 
object  to  it,  or  wish  it  had  been  less.  One  might  as  well  wish 
that  he  had  been  less  disinterested  or  good-natured.  But 
what  these  careless  observers  would  call  vanity  was  really  a 
very  different  quality.  It  was  simply  a  disposition  to  be 
easily  pleased,  and  to  look  on  the  bright  side  of  our  cloddish 
humanity.  Yanity  begins  and  ends  at  home  ;  it  is  essentially 
egotistical,  and  must  finally  refer  everything  to  self.  It  comes 
from  the  comi^any  of  its  own  swollen  imaginations,  like  Gul- 
liver from  among  the  Brobdignags,  and  in  the  same  way  looks 
on  common  men  as  dwarfs.  But  our  doctor's  complacency 
was  of  the  most  catholic  nature.  It  made  no  invidious  com- 
parisons ;  if  he  thought  highly  of  himself,  he  had  even  a 
better  opinion  of  others,  and  his  eyes  were  as  blind  to  their 
faults  and  open  to  their  virtues  as  to  his  own. 

01dl)uck,  who  could  never  Ijear  the  least  approach  to  a 
jest  at  his  own  expense,  was  continually  making  game  of  his 
companion.  "  Browne — he  did  this  or  that,"  was  his  favour- 
ite exordium  on  such  occasions  ;  and  his  eye  would  begin  to 
twinkle,  and  his  mouth  to  twitch,  as  j^remonitory  symptoms 
of  the  low,  hearty  chuckle  that  was  sure  to  follow,  while  the 
doctor  seemed  to  enjoy  the  whole  thing  as  much  as  any  of  us. 

These  three  were  now  the  solitary  remnant  of  a  party 
that  had  originally  consisted  of  forty  members.  Half  only, 
however,  came   to  California,  to   encounter  the  perils  and 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  129 

hardships  of  the  mines ;  while  the  others  paid  all  the  ex- 
penses of  the  expedition,  and  sat  secnre  at  home.  Tliey 
had  brought  with  them  various  improved  and  scientific  ma- 
chines, and  among  them  one  for  dredging  in  the  bottom  of  the 
rivers,  of  which  they  seemed  to  have  formed  the  same  idea  as 
myself.  Assuming  as  a  basis  the  accounts  that  had  reached 
home  of  the  wealth  of  California,  they  had  sat  down,  coolly  and 
deliberately,  with  pen  and  papei',  to  calculate  the  profits  they 
might  safely  expect  from  two  years'  labour.  The  result  at  which 
they  arrived  was  every  way  pleasing  and  satisfactory;  indeed, 
so  much  so  that  even  their  inflated  imaginations  were  unable 
to  receive  it  in  all  its  vast  proportions.  They  accordingly  went 
over  the  work  again  with  an  excess  of  caution  deserving  the 
highest  credit,  and  finding  all  correct,  gradually  settled  down 
into  the  comfortable  belief  that  at  the  end  of  two  years  they 
would  each  be  worth  just  half  a  million. 

Dr.  Browne's  whole  time  was  to  be  occupied  in  amalga- 
mating and  weighing  the  gold;  and,  if  practicable,  casting  it 
into  ingots.  Murray,  the  quiet  Scotchman,  had  brought  with 
him  twelve  tin  boxes,  each  containing  a  quart  of  snuff ;  and 
he  confidently  expected,  as  fast  as  they  were  emptied,  to  fill 
them  with  another  dust  yet  more  precious  and  titillating. 
When  I  heard  this  story  of  their  magnificent  conceptions,  I 
felt  vexed  and  ashamed  at  my  own  comparatively  grovelling 
notions;  for  it  certainly  must  have  been  a  fine  thing  to  believe 
oneself,  for  ever  so  short  a  time,  the  possessor  of  such  a 
princely  fortune,  and  thus  familiarize  the  mind  to  these  enno- 
bling contemplations.  One  could  hardly  fail  to  think  and 
speak  more  loftily  for  it  all  his  life,  as  the  humblest  individual 
who  should  become  a  lord  or  a  king,  even  for.  a  single  day, 
could  never  lose  the  smack  of  greatness  thus  acquired. 

Dinner  was  waiting  when  we  entered,  and  we  at  once  took 
our  places,  without  loss  of  time  in  idle  ceremony.  A  sailor's 
chest,  covered  with  a  real  table-cloth,  and  raised  to  a  conve- 
nient elevation  by  two  low  boxe§,  formed  a  very  commodious 


130  G  0  L  D  E  N     D  n  E  A  M  s 

table,  the  difficulty  we  expei'ienced  in  disposing  of  our  legs, 
and  which  compelled  us  to  lean  gracefully  forward  at  an 
angle  of  forty-five  degrees,  being  the  only  material  objection. 
Aud  this  trifling  annoyance  was  soon  forgotten  at  sight  of  the 
truly  royal  banquet  prepared  by  our  nuniificent  entertainers, 
and  whi(;h  I  will  describe  at  greater  length,  to  remove,  if 
possible,  an  odious  impression,  as  I  foar  too  generally  preva- 
lent, that  the  California  miner  absolutely  eats  nothing  but 
pork  and  flapjacks. 

The  great  advantages  secured  by  division  of  labour  were 
here  apparent.  Instead  of  each  member  of  the  company 
taking  his  turn,  day  by  day  or  week  by  week,  in  performing 
all  the  culinary  operations,  as  was  the  usual  custom,  each  one 
had  exclusive  charge  of  some  particular  department.  Old- 
buck  superintended  the  meats,  the  bread  and  pastry  were 
confided  to  the  doctor,  while  Murray,  being  only  a  noviciate 
and  as  yet  unequal  to  the  higher  branches,  was  serving  an 
apprenticeship  at  washing  the  dishes. 

As  might  have  been  expected  from  so  judicious  an  ar- 
rangement, everything  was  excellent  and  in  perfect  keeping. 
The  first  course  consisted  of  boiled  ham,  roast  venison,  a 
venison  stew  or  pasty  (Friar  Tuck's  was  not  half  so  good, 
though,  I  take  it,  the  best  pasty  in  the  world),  and  potatoes 
at  a  dollar  a  pound.  After  we  had  done  ample  justice  to  each 
of  these  dishes,  and  washed  them  down  with  a  brimming  cup 
of  coffee,  the  plates — real  china,  by  the  way — were  removed 
and  expeditiously  rinsed  outside  the  tent  by  Murray,  while  we 
testified  our  growing  complacency  by  a  between-eourse  of 
jests  and  sly  allusions  to  the  decidedly  aristocratic  pretensions 
of  the  colonel's  establishment.  The  second  course  consisted 
of  a  huge  platter  of  molasses  gingerbread  and  indispiitable 
peach-pie,  accompanied  by  two  bottles  of  wine;  but  where 
they  came  from,  whether  from  Madeira  or  Kamtschatka,  is 
beyond  my  conjecture.  Colonel  Oldbuck  fidgetted  a  little  at 
this  unexpected  apparition,  for  he  was  a  teetotaller,  and  car- 


AKD    Leadkn    Realities.  131 

ried  his  principles  with  him  to  California,  and,  what  is  more, 
kept  them  there — an  example  that  the  great  Kneel  Down 
himself  might  have  found  it  hard  to  foIIo\y. 

Songs  and  stories  now  succeeded.  "The  youngest  gen- 
tleman in  company  blew  his  melancholy  into  a  flute,"  and 
fortunately  managed  also  to  blow  considerable  out  of  it,  and 
about  four  o'clock  we  rose  from  table  highly  gratified  with 
our  first  Thankso'iving  in  the  mines. 


132  Golden   Dreams 


CHAPTER  XII. 

IT  was  now  the  beginning-  of  winter,  but  the  weather 
continued  mild  and  favourable.  The  nights  were  cold, 
and  the  ground  in  the  morning  sometimes  covered  with  frost; 
but  our  tent  was  always  abundantly  warm,  and  the  sun  no 
sooner  rose  above  the  hills  than  the  whole  atmosphere  became 
of  a  most  delightful  temperature.  The  change  was  equally 
sudden  at  night,  the  disappearance  of  the  sun  being  followed 
by  an  instant  chill,  that  seemed  to  settle  down  upon  the  earth 
like  a  mantle,  and  drove  us  from  our  work  at  an  early 
hour.  During  rainy  weather  the  wind  was  invariably  warm 
from  the  south-east. 

Our  life  now  moved  on  with  great  regularity.  We  rose 
at  daybreak.  The  fire,  which  usually  kept  alive  all  night, 
was  soon  wide  awake,  and  the  coffee-pot  sung  cheerily  on  the 
stove.  A  little  practice  had  enabled  us  to  acquire  a  very 
tolerable  proficiency  in  the  noble  and  primitive  art  of  cooking. 
A  few  weeks  before,  we  had  smacked  our  lips  over  certain 
flapjacks  of  the  most  amazing  toughness  and  solidity,  every 
one  of  which  seemed  to  say,  "  Let  me  sit  heavy  on  thy  soul 
to-morrow,"  and  seldom  failed  to  attain  its  aspirations.  They 
were  made  of  unleavened  flour,  with  a  plentiful  admixture  of 
rice,  the  latter  substance  alone  affording  any  reasonable  hope 
of  a  speedy  digestion.  Yet  even  Mowbray  condescended  to 
express  his  approbation  of  them,  and  once  manifested  con- 
siderable curiosity  to  learn  the  secret  of  their  composition. 
But  they  were  only  my  first  essay,  as  inferior  to  my  subsequent 


AND   Leaden   Realities.  138 

productions  as  the  first  feeble  rhymes  of  a  fledgling  poet  to 
his  matui'er  efforts,  and  I  felt  vexed  that  he  should  have  gone 
away  with  such  an  inadequate  estimate  of  my  powers  as  these 
crude  conceptions  were  calculated  to  produce.  In  the  mean 
time,  I  extended  my  researches  in  every  direction.  Our  little 
frying-pan  was  no  longer  large  enough  for  the  purpose.  It 
answered  very  well  for  those  earlier  cakes,  as  round  and  thick 
as  the  shield  of  Ajax,  but  required  too  much  time  for  the 
delicate,  almost  transparent  wafers  that  now  alone  satisfied 
our  refined  palates.  In  going  to  and  from  our  work,  I  had 
often  passed  an  old  Dutch  oven,  that,  having  a  large  hole  in 
one  side,  was  no  longer  fit  for  its  legitimate  purpose.  One 
day  a  happy  idea  seized  me.  I  took  possession  of  the  oven, 
and  carrying  it  home,  knocked  off  the  remaining  sides,  and 
having  cleaned  it  with  fire,  converted  the  bottom  into  a  very 
commodious  griddle. 

Robinson  Crusoe  could  have  felt  no  greater  pride  and 
exultation  when  he  drew  his  first  rude  crockery  from  the  ex- 
piring embers.  I  now  knew  that  nothing  was  too  hard  for 
me — frying  pork,  that  had  once  seemed  the  summit  of  attain- 
able excellence,  no  longer  affected  my  imagination — the  mys- 
teries of  beef  and  venison,  of  which  we  had  at  this  time  a 
satiety,  became  palpable  and  commonplace,  and  I  found,  like 
Newton,  the  circle  of  scientific  discovery  continually  widen  as 
I  advanced. 

My  next  achievement  surpassed  all  that  had  preceded  it. 
For  several  days  I  had  been  unusually  silent  and  abstracted. 
My  companions  attributed  this  change  to  a  constitutional 
melancholy  with  which  I  am  at  times  afflicted,  but  it  was 
really  owing  to  the  pains  of  travail  in  which  my  genius  now 
laboured.  It  was  on  the  eventful  morning  of  the  13th  of 
December,  that  I  first  took  from  the  top  of  the  stove,  where 
they  had  reposed  all  night  under  a  polished  cheessbox,  a  tin 
pan  of  undeniable  baked  beans,  the  classic  time-honoured  dish  of 
old  Xew  England.    Such  a  thing  had  never  before  been  known 


1  o.'t  G  O  L  D  E  N     D  R  E  A  M  S 

in  the  diggings,  where  iudeed  stewed  beans — procul  procul  a 
nobis — were  plenty  with  their  pale  watery  complexions,  but 
baked  beans  never,  with  their  rich  brown,  almost  golden,  hue. 
My  triumph  was  complete.  Oldbuck  and  the  doctor,  between 
whom  and  ourselves  there  had  long  existed  a  kind  of  rivalry, 
began  to  caTil  and  detract,  but  were  convinced  and  silenced 
at  the  first  mouthful. 

After  this  I  went  no  farther.  Amazed  and  almost  terri- 
fied by  the  boldness  of  my  conceptions,  I  felt  how  impossible 
it  was  ever  again  to  equal  them.  I  rested  my  claims  upon 
this  single  effort,  with  the  same  calm  assurance  with  which 
Columlius  rested  on  his  discovery  of  America — to  surpass 
either,  one  must  needs  "  find  out  new  heavens,  new  earth." 

Having  eaten  our  breakfast  of  savoury  fritters,  or  less 
pleasing  ship-biscuit,  molasses,  and  fried  pork,  and  thoroughly 
warmed  our  inner  man  with  a  pint  of  coffee,  black  as  night, 
we  sallied  forth  to  our  work,  leaving  our  tent  and  all  its  con- 
tents in  perfect  security,  even  if  we  should  be  gone  for  weeks. 
In  no  country  in  the  world  were  life  and  property  ever  more 
secure  than  at  that  time  in  the  mines  of  California.  We  had 
now  moved  someway  down  the  river,  and  were  at  work  among 
huge  toppling  rocks,  where  in  the  intervening  crevices  we  found 
a  scanty  proportion  of  black  vegetable  mould  that,  according 
to  the  prevailing  theory,  should  have  contained  no  gold,  but 
actually  paid  sometimes  as  much  as  thirty  cents  to  the  bucket. 
In  fact  I  never  saw  any  description  of  earth  in  California  that 
did  not,  in  some  situation  or  other,  afford  the  miner  a  very 
fair  return. 

Our  labour  was  by  no  means  hard  for  one  in  health,  and 
if  our  success  had  equalled  oar  expectations,  would  have  been 
in  the  highest  degree  agreeable.  But  continued  disappointment 
disposed  us  to  regard  everything  in  the  least  favourable  light. 
We  were  glad  when  it  was  noon,  and  still  more  pleased  when 
the  sun,  "  wheeling  his  broad  disc"  behind  the  opposing  hills, 
warned  us  to  bring  our  day's  labour  to  a  close.     The  large 


AND   Leaden    Realities.  135 

pan  beneath  the  rocker  was  usually  by  this  time  half  full  of 
black  sand  and  gravel,  the  successive  accumulations  of  our 
afternoon's  washings.  To  wash  or  float  out  these  baser  sub- 
stances, leaving  the  gold  nearly  unmixed  in  the  pan,  was  a 
long  and  tedious  process,  with  the  mysteries  of  which,  however, 
I  suppose  the  reader  is  already  sufficiently  familiar.  While 
one  is  thus  occupied,  the  other,  first  removing  the  cradle  from 
the  edge  of  the  river  to  a  place  of  greater  security,  hurries 
home  to  make  the  necessary  preparations  for  supper,  followed 
in  due  time  by  his  companion,  whose  walk,  heavy  and  slow,  or 
erect  and  springing,  affords  a  very  fair  index  of  the  success 
they  have  met  with.  Arrived  at  home,  the  pan  is  placed  .a 
few  minutes  over  the  fire  to  dry  the  small  quantity  of  black 
sand  still  remaining,  which  is  then  blown  out  by  the  breath, 
leaving  nothing  but  the  pure  bright  yellow'.  The  pan  is  now 
passed  from  one  to  another,  that  each  may  express  his  opinion 
of  its  value. 

"  Humph,"  says  the  first,  scanning  the  gold  curiously  out  of 
one  corner  of  his  eye,  as  a  hen  takes  the  dimensions  of  a  worm 
or  a  grasshopper,  "is  that  all?  I  thought  we  should  have 
had  at  least  an  ounce  apiece.  If  our  hole  is  agoing  to  retort 
out  at  that  rate,  it's  high  time  to  be  looking  about  for  some- 
thing else  ;  but  if  I  know  where  to  go,  I  hope  to  be  swowed." 

"  Here,"  cries  another,  "  let  me  have  a  squint  at  it ;"  and 
after  a  careful  examination,  "  Well,  I  don  know  ;  that  ain't 
so  bad  ;  there's  hard  on  to  forty  dollars,  and  we  should  ha' 
thought  that  pretty  good  day's  wages  in  the  States." 

But  it  is  astonishing  what  a  glow  a  little  gleam  of  success 
throws  over  the  whole  party — their  stoop  disappears — they 
have  actually  grown  an  inch  taller  ;  while  every  one  has  some 
merry  quip  fit  for  the  occasion.  They  are  unwilling  to  let  the 
.gold  out  of  their  hands — they  slide  it  back  and  forth  across 
the  pan,  making  it  assume  every  grotesque  and  pleasing  va- 
riety of  form.  Hardly  any  sight  can  be  more  delightfully 
suggestive — gold  coin  is  nothing  to  it,  dull  heavy  slave  that 


136  Golden    Dueams 

it  is  !  If  I  were  required  to  name  those  hours  when  1  have 
enjoyed  the  greatest  happiness,  next  to  that  arising  from 
inward  and  inexplicable  sources,  I  should  fix  upon  such  an 
evening  in  the  mines,  when  each  one  has  a  hundred  dollars 
for  his  day's  labour.  If  there  is  anything  better,  it  is  when 
he  has  two  hundred,  with  the  added  hope  of  getting  as  much 
more  to-morrow. 

In  our  particular  instance  a  much  smaller  amount  was 
sufficient  to  produce  a  general  hilarity.  When  eacli  had 
guessed  its  weight,  it  was  slid  carefully  into  the  scales,  thence 
transferred  to  sundry  vials  or  tin  boxes,  and  the  amount  duly 
registered  in  a  book  kept  for  the  purpose.  By  this  time  sup- 
per was  ready  ;  we  drew  our  kegs  and  boxes  up  to  the 
table,  and  fell  to  work  on  the  fried  beef  or  venison  with  hearty 
good  will.  This  was  by  far  the  pleasantest  meal  of  the  day  ; 
we  lingered  over  our  coffee,  and  dwelt  v.'ith  prolonged  relish 
on  every  mouthful,  ere  we  reluctantly  dismissed  it  down  our 
expectant  throats  ;  and  thought  how  much  we  should  enjoy 
the  surprise,  if  some  of  our  friends  at  home  could  suddenly  pop 
in  upon  us. 

After  supper  our  pipes  were  lighted — we  stretched  our- 
selves on  our  beds,  and  conversed  at  intervals  of  the  day's 
work,  of  what  we  should  do  next  summer,  and  of  going  home. 
Number  Four,  whose  spirits  never  flagged,  hummed  some  old- 
time  airs,  or  breathed  them  through  that  simple  and  classic 
instrument  styled  the  harmonicon.  It  was  pleasant  in  stormy 
weather  to  lie  and  listen  to  the  rain  pattering  on  the  well- 
stretched  canvass,  and  watch  the  sides  of  the  tent  flapping  and 
bellying  like  sails  at  sea  ;  while  occasionally,  in  the  pauses  of 
the  tempest,  we  caught  brief  snatches  of  the  doctor's  melan- 
choly sounding  strange  and  unearthly  like  the  wail  of  a  depart- 
ing spirit.  We  could  hear  the  wind  apparently  coming  for 
miles  up  the  river.  A  short  lull  would  be  succeeded  by  a 
faint,  almost  inaudible  murmur  like  the  distant  tramp  of  an 
army — it  came  nearer  and  louder — now  it  had  reached  the 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  137 

village — we  heard  it  hurtling  through  the  trees  at  the  foot 
of  our  hill,  aucl  the  same  momeut  it  rushed  by  with  headlong 
speed,  holding  us  breathless  with  excitement,  and  rolled  away 
up  the  valley. 

Xever  before  had  I  so  fully  realized  the  winds  of  the  heathen 
23oets — the  names  which  had  seemed  so  unmeaning,  now  im- 
pressed me  as  actual  existences  ;  and  Xotus,  Eurus,  and 
Auster,  with  ten  thousand  of  lesser  degree,  seemed  "  now 
fighting  on  firm  ground  a  standing  fight,  then  soaring  on 
main  wing  tormented  all  the  air." 

We  thought  ourselves  very  fortunate  whenever  we  suc- 
ceeded in  borrowing  a  book  from  any  of  our  neighbours,  but 
were  still  more  interested  in  the  papers  that  we  obtained 
usually  as  often  as  once  a  month.  We  read  them  through, 
advertisements  and  all,  often  tAvo  and  three  times  ;  and  I  have 
not  yet  lost  the  relish  thus  acquired  for  that  sort  of  reading. 

Oldbuck  and  the  doctor  used  sometimes  to  come  in  and 
spend  the  evening  in  singing,  gossiping,  and  telling  stories. 
When  conversation  flagged,  "  Come,  Browne  !"  Oldbuck  would 
cry,  "suppose  you  run  down  cellar,  and  fetch  a  basket  of  ap- 
ples and  a  pitcher  of  cider  ;"  and  the  conceit  never  failed  to 
give  general  satisfaction,  though  he  might  as  well  have  asked 
for  a  roc's  egg,  or  the  dome  of  St.  Peter's. 

"  Apples  and  cider  !"  repeated  the  doctor,  "  Jerusha,  don't 
I  wish  I  had  some  ?"  and  then  a  pause  ensued,  while  each 
thought  himself  again  at  home,  basket  in  hand,  cautiously 
descending  t'he  rickety  cellar  stairs,  groping  his  way  along  to 
the  bin  or  barrel,  and,  as  he  filled  his  basket,  reserving  the 
finest  for  the  pleasant  voice  caUing  after  him  encouragingly 
from  the  upper  air.  But  th^re  are  no  cellars  in  California, 
and  no  apples  to  put  in  them  ; 

And  thee,  aye  mo !  the  seas  and  sounding  shores 
Hold  far  away. 

There  were  half  a  dozen  tents  in  our  immediate  neighbour- 


lo8  Golden    Dreams 

liood,  and  in  the  course  of  the  winter  we  became  somewhat 
intimate  with  their  occupants.  We  remained  however  a  long 
time  ignorant  of  their  names,  and  were  consequently  obliged 
to  return  to  the  ancient  custom  of  designating  an  individual 
from  some  natural  or  acquired  peculiarity,  as  Blackboard, 
Greybeard,  Brushhouse,  and  California  Hat. 

Brushhouse  was  a  stumpy  little  fellow,  not  more  than  five 
feet  high,  who  obtained  his  name  from  living  most  of  the  win- 
ter under  a  pile  of  pine  branches,  into  which  he  crept  like  a 
wild  beast  into  its  den.  I  thought  when  I  first  saw  him  that 
he  was  a  Bohemian  or  gipsy,  but  afterwards  learned  that  he 
was  from  the  north  of  Ireland.  It  was  impossible  to  deter- 
mine his  age  with  any  certainty,  as  he  knew  nothing  about  it 
himself,  and  his  face  showed  only  that  he  was  somewhere  be- 
tween twenty-five  and  fifty  ; — and  though  his  various  adven- 
tures seemed  to  confirm  the  latter  supposition,  his  lieardless 
face,  high  squeaking  voice,  rapid  utterance,  and  almost  child- 
ish simplicity,  were  as  much  in  favour  of  the  former.  His 
geographical  knowledge  was  by  no  means  contemptible — he 
had  heard  of  Australia,  which  he  believed  to  be  in  Bombay 
and  to  belong  to  Austria  ;  and  when,  in  answer  to  some 
inquiry,  I  had  assured  him  that  Brazil  was  independent,  "Oh 
yes,"  he  cried,  "  I  know— Independent  Tartary." 

One  day,  when  he  had  come  into  our  tent  to  thaw  his 
fingers  at  the  stove,  I  asked  him  where  he  was  working. 

"Oh!  I  bcen't  working  anywhere  now,"  he  replied,  in  his 
peculiar  rapid  manner,  which  had  about  it  such  a  winning, 
supplicating  air  as  would  melt  the  heart  of  a  stone.  "  I  had 
a  hole  up  here  in  the  ravine,  and  there  was  two  other  men 
working  by  the  side  of  me,  and  'they  kept  working  so"  (here 
he  illustrated  his  words  by  putting  his  two  forefingers  to- 
gether at  an  acute  angle),  "and  bimeby  I  hadn't  any  hole, 
and  they  gave  mc  an  ounce  not  to  say  anything  about  it,  and 
I  thouglit  I  had  l)etter  take  the  ounce,  though  the  hole  was 
worth  a  good  deal  more  than  the  ounce." 


J 


AND     L  E  A  D  K  N     R  E  A  M  T  I  E  S  ,  139 

Poor  fellow !  we  could  not  help  laughing  at  his  simplicity, 
though  we  condemned  the  selfish  cunning  that  would  stoop  to 
take  advantage  of  it.  In  the  spring,  Brushhouse  joined  him- 
self to  two  Dutchmen  to  go  up  into  the  mountains,  and  the 
three  together  bought  a  mule  to  transport  their  luggage. 
But  just  before  reaching  Coloma  the  wary  mynheers  de- 
manded of  him  a  certain  sum  for  freight,  and  because  he 
had  nothing  to  pay,  having  exhausted  his  all  in  his  previous 
preparations,  they  took  his  share  of  the  mule  and  departed, 
leaving  the  unlucky  dwarf  sitting  by  the  roadside,  trying  in 
vain  to  find  out  how  it  happened  that  he  had  to  buy  a  mule 
and  then  pay  freight  besides. 

Greybeard,  who  was  "  a  good  portly  man  i'  faith,  and  a 
corpulent,  his  age  some  fifty,  or  by'r  lady  inclining  to  three- 
score," used  often  to  come  in  on  a  rainy  afternoon,  on  which 
occasions  the  following  conversation  invariably  took  place: 

""Well,  sir,  and  how  do  you  feel  to-day?"  one  of  us  would 
say,  with  a  full  assurance  of  w^hat  was  to  follow. 

"Oh!  I  don't  know,"  he  would  reply,  with  a  long-drawn 
sigh,  and  placing  his  hand  on  his  heart;  "I  feel  so  weak 
about  here,  it  seems  as  if  I  could  hardly  breathe.  I  shall 
never  be  any  better  as  long  as  I  stay  in  the  mines.  I  was 
never  sick  before  in  ray  life.  When  I  left  the  ship  I  weighed 
a  hundred  and  eighty,  now  I  don't  weigh  a  hundred  and  fifty. 
I  can't  sleep  more'n  half  the  night,  and  there's  that  Glass — 
he'll  lie  there,  and  snooze — he  don't  care,  and  I  took  him  in. 
The  whole  tent  and  everything  in  it  is  mine.  I  knew  his 
father,  at  home  ;  he's  a  nice  likely  man,  but  none  of  his 
boys  take  after  him.  He  was  sick  a  long  time  and  couldn't 
help  himself,  and  I  had  to  take  the  whole  care  of  him.  I 
had  a  claim  at  the  time  that  was  paying  more'n  an  ounce  a 
day,  and  I  lost  it;  and  now  he's  got  well,  he  won't  do  a 
thing.  He  made  some  soup  t'other  day,  and  'twas  all  burnt 
so't  I  couldn't  taste  a  mouthful.  How  much  room  you  seem 
to  have  herel    I  declare  I  don't  see  how  'tis,  our  tent  is 


140  Golden   Dreams 

a'most  as  big  as  yours;,  and  we've  hardly  room  to  turn  round. 
But  there's  that  Glass — I  told  him,  when  he  was  fixing  his 
bed,  'toughtn't  to  be  way  out  iu  the  middle — I  should  ha' 
fixed  things  different,  but  there's  that  Glass — I  could  chop 
faster  when  I  wan't  more'u  ten  years  old,  but  he  don't  know 
nothing — his  father's  a  nice  likely  man,  but  none  of  his  sons 
take  after  him.  Your  stove  seems  to  work  first-rate — ours 
smokes  awfully.  I  knew  'twould; — but  there's  that  Glass" — 
and  here  he  had  to  stop  for  want  of  breath. 

The  efiect  of  this  long  series  of  anathemas  was  infinitely 
enhanced  by  that  artful  dropping  of  the  last  syllable,  by 
which  his  indignation  seemed  to  be  condensed  and  compressed 
into  tenfold  bitterness.  If  he  had  simply  said,  "  There's  that 
Glassford,"  it  would  have  been  nothing  ;  but  there's  that 
Glass,  was  positively  awful.  It  at  once  curtailed  the  unfor- 
tunate object  of  his  spleen  of  half  his  fau*  proportions,  and 
reduced  him  to  a  minim  of  a  man.  It  was  as  good  as 
conjuring.  It  reminded  me  of  some  scene  in  Arabian  story 
where  a  fairy  first  transformed  her  enemy  into  a  monkey,  and 
then  slew  him  with  a  bodkin.  "  There's  that  Glass"  at  length 
became  with  us  a  household  word,  which  was  constantly  ap- 
plied when  any  one  attempted  to  shift  the  burden  of  his  own 
remissness  on  to  the  shoulders  of  another. 

Other  sources  of  amusement  were  not  wanting.  A  checker- 
board, made  on  a  box-cover  with  chalk  and  charcoal,  wiled 
away  many  a  heavy  hour ;  and  Tertium  now  and  then  passed 
nearly  a  whole  day  tramping  over  the  liQls  in  search  of  deer, 
and  was  sometimes  so  fortunate  as  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  their 
tails  as  they  went  whisking  past.  The  keen  sportsmanlike 
zest  with  which  he  used  to  enlarge  upon  his  success,  reminded 
me  of  that  devoutest  of  anglers  who,  after  waiting  patiently 
in  one  spot  from  morn  till  noon,  from  noon  to  dewy  eve,  was 
at  last  rewarded  by  a  glorious  nibble. 

])ut  there  were  places  at  no  great  distance  from  the  island 
where  more  skilful  hunters  had   little  diifieulty  in  securing 


AND    Leaden    Realities,  141 

their  game.  A  regular  business  was  carried  ou  in  this  way, 
and  for  several  months  our  market  was  supplied  with  an 
abundance  of  venison,  which  was  usually  sold  for  forty  cents 
a  pound.  Now  and  then  a  deer,  ignorant  of  the  changes  a 
single  year  had  wrought  in  his  hitherto  undisturbed  domain, 
came  boldly  to  drink  in  the  same  river  where  he  and  his 
fathers  had  quenched  their  thirst  for  centuries ;  but  now 
found  every  pass  guarded  hj  lurking  foes.  A  fine  buck  ran 
one  morning  directly  before  our  door  :  he  had  evidently  been 
hard  pressed  by  the  hunters,  and  his  heavy  soIjs  confessed  his 
fatigue  ;  but  a  hundred  enemies  starting  up  on  every  side 
compelled  him  once  more  to  plunge  into  his  native  solitudes. 

There  was  so  little  to  distinguish  Sunday  from  other  days 
in  the  week  that  I  sometimes  thought  we  should  have  to  resort 
to  the  same  expedient  practised  by  Crusoe,  and  notch  the 
time  upon  a  post.  Most  of  the  miners,  it  is  true,  ceased  on 
that  day  from  their  ordinary  labours,  but  it  was  far  from  being 
on  that  account  a  day  of  rest.  The  stores  were  all  open,  and 
three  times  as  busy  as  usual.  The  gambling  houses  were 
thronged — the  bars  drained  dry — the  week's  wages  wasted  in 
a  day's  debauch.  Those  who  avoided  these  vices,  filled  up 
the  time  with  a  great  variety  of  occupations.  First,  their 
clothes  were  to  be  washed,  but  this  was  speedily  accomplished, 
as  all  they  had  to  do  was  to  tie  them  to  a  rope,  and  let  them 
swim  half  a  day  in  the  river.  Then  there  were  letters  to 
write,  tools  to  mend,  walking,  hunting,  and  prospecting,  for 
which  last  many  considered  the  day  especially  lucky.  If  there 
were  several  rainy  days  during  the  week,  some  of  the  more 
skilful  casuists  among  the  miners  counted  them  as  Sunday, 
and  went  to  work  on  that  day  without  scruple.  Others  who 
would  not  have  naade  this  transfer  wittingly,  were  sometimes 
betrayed  into  it  through  ignorance. 

Walking  one  Sunday  half  a  mile  up  the  river,  I  found  our 
little  friend  Brushhouse  hard  at  work  in  a  small  ravine. 


142  Golden  Dreams 

"What  !"  said  I,  in  affected  surprise,  for  I  really  didn't 
suppose  the  poor  fcllo^r  had  any  more  notion  of  religion  than 
a  Hottentot,  "do  you  work  Sunday?" 

"  Why!"  piped  he,  innocently,  "  is  this  Sunday?  I  thought 
yesterday  was  Sunday,  and  I  didn't  do  any  work  at  all." 

I  afterwards  made  a  similar  blunder,  though  I  was  so  far 
out  of  the  way  as  to  mistake  Sunday  for  Friday  ;  nor  was  I 
convinced  of  my  error  till  I  had  referred  the  vexed  question 
to  all  our  neighbours. 

So,  easily  our  days  slipt  away,  like  skaters  on  a  frozen 
river.  Ah,  gay  and  gaudy  time  !  and  shall  I  ever  grow  too 
old  for  thee  ?  Shall  those  rose-coloured  recollections,  with 
wings  softer  than  the  softest  cloud,  ever  cease  to  rise  in  my 
soul  ?  As  I  sit  and  gaze  steadfastly  into  the  past,  all  those 
well-known  scenes  sweep  like  a  fairy  pageant  across  my  aching 
sight.  Now  waves  of  slow  and  stately  music  fill  the  air,  float- 
ing faintly  from  that  distant  shore.  Oh  for  some  charm  to 
make  the  spell  perpetual  !  But  I  know  'twas  no  such  thing. 
This  pleasant  dream  is  all  a  delusion — that  life  that  now  seems 
so  fair  was  then  weary,  dreary — then  as  now,  walking  in  the 
cold  shadow,  I  saw  the  distant  prospect,  behind  and  before, 
rioting  in  the  golden  light. 

Yet  sing  me  that  well  known  air  once  more, 
For  thoughts  of  youth  still  haunt  its  strain, 

Like  dreams  of  some  far  fairy  shore, 
1  never  sliall  see  again. 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  143 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

ABOUT  the  middle  of  December,  Numlxn*  Four  obtained  a. 
situation  as  clerk  In  the  store  already  mentioned,  on  the 
hill  behind  our  tent  ;  but,  as  he  still  continued  to  live  with 
us,  this  step  produced  but  little  change  in  our  household  econ- 
omy. 

According  to  our  calculations,  it  now  rained  about  one- 
third  of  the  time,  though  Colonel  Oldbuck  insisted  that  the 
proportion  was  at  least  one-half.  The  river,  like  all  moun- 
tain streams,  generally  rose  with  great  rapidity,  and  we  were 
not  always  prepared  for  these  sudden  freshets.  Going  early 
one  morning,  after  a  gentle  rain  that  had  fallen  interruptedly 
for  several  days,  to  look  after  our  rocker,  I  found  the  spot 
where  we  had  left  it,  deep  under  w^ater,  while  the  river,  now 
swollen  to  a  frightful  extent,  was  fretting  itself  furiously 
against  the  jutting  rocks  that  formed  its  banks.  Hundreds 
of  rockers  were  swept  away,  and  one  man  below  the  island 
took  out  forty  that  had  found  a  harbour  in  an  eddy  near  which 
he  was  at  work.  Our  own,  though  of  ii'on,  was  forced  to 
the  surface  by  the  violence  of  the  current,  and  lodged  against 
a  snag  not  far  below  ;  but  the  unconscionable  wreckers  that 
saved  it  charged  us  an  ounce  for  salvage. 

As  the  waters  subsided,  the  impatient  miners  hastened  to 
resume  their  operations  on  the  island  from  which  they  had 
been  several  days  excluded.  The  fierce  flood  that  had  swept 
over  it  had  produced  a  wonderful  change  in  its  surface,  and 
in  some  cases  almost  obliterated  the  ancient  landmarks  ;  so 


144  Golden    Dkkams 

that  the  different  claimants  were  not  a  little  perplexed  to 
settle  the  boundaries  of  this  disputed  territory.  Some  also 
maintained  that  a  fresh  deposit  of  gold  had  been  distributed 
over  the  bar  ;  and  a  single  incident  that  produced  a  great 
excitement,  seemed  for  a  time  to  favour  this  supposition.  A 
young  fellow,  at  work  on  the  upper  end  of  the  island,  took 
out  several  hundred  dollars,  in  a  few  buckets  full  of  earth, 
from  a  part  of  his  claim  that  he  swore  positively  was  entirely 
bare  before  the  freshet.  The  gold,  however,  was  much 
coarser  than  the  minute  scales  universally  characteristic  of 
those  diggings,  so  that  the  curious  were  for  some  time  at  a 
loss  to  account  for  its  mysterious  appearance.  It  was  at 
length  recollected  that  a  man  at  work  the  preceding  summer, 
on  a  dam  just  above  the  island,  had  lost  a  purse  containing 
five  hundred  dollars  ;  and  the  conclusion  was  irresistible  that 
this  was  the  treasure  so  curiously  brought  to  light.  The 
lucky  finder  celebrated  his  good  fortune  by  having  a  complete 
"blow  out,"  or  jollification,  and  went  roystering  about  at  the 
head  of  a  party  of  good  fellows,  till  he  had  not  a  particle  of 
his  luck  remaining. 

Our  diggings  on  the  bank  were  now  nearly  exhausted. 
We  had  spent  nearly  half  the  working  days  of  the  last  two 
months  in  prospecting — 0  word  of  fear  ! — had  dived  into  the 
ravines — run  up  and  down  the  river — tried  the  bank  to-day, 
and  the  island  to-raorrow — and,  in  fact,  fairly  reduced  our- 
selves to  the  verge  of  desperation.  To  confess  the  truth,  if 
the  reader  has  not  discovered  it  beforehand,  we  were  sadly 
lacking  in  faith,  hope,  energy,  and  perseverance,  and,  indeed, 
all  those  qualities  that  are  capable  of  being  converted  into 
ready  money.  No  one  could  work  harder  than  we  with  a 
certainty  of  success,  but  deprive  us  of  that,  and  our  heads 
hung  down  like  a  bulrush. 

It  was  easy  enough  to  work  in  a  hole  already  opened,  but 
to  start  a  new  one  in  gravel,  clay,  or  loam,  all  alike  dumb, 
mysterious,  insscrutable — to  dig  five  or  twenty  feet  through 


AND    Leaden   Realitiks.  145 

unsympathizing  sand  when  it  was  so  improbable  that  there 
was  any  thing  there — it  was  really  unworthy  of  a  rational 
being. 

But  working  on  the  bank  was  attended  with  another  incon- 
venience arising  from  the  difficulty  of  avoiding  the  poison-oak. 
This  is  a  small  shrub  generally  not  more  than  a  foot  in  height, 
though  sometimes  as  tall  as  a  man's  head,  with  dark  venom- 
ous looking  leaves  resembling  in  shape  those  of  the  oak.  Its 
poison  is  of  the  most  subtile  and  diffusive  nature,  approaching 
more  nearly,  perhaps,  to  that  of  the  fabled  upas  than  any 
other  in  the  vegetable  kingdom.  Some,  indeed,  can  handle 
it  with  impunity,  while  with  others  not  only  the  merest  touch 
but  even  holding  it  a  few  inches  from  the  hands  or  face  is 
followed  by  most  painful  consequences.  The  hands,  as  being 
most  exposed,  are  usually  the  first  to  discover  its  presence. 
Numerous  little  swellings  make  their  appearance  between  the 
fingers  and  on  the  wrist,  causing  an  intolerable  itching  ;  and 
the  least  contact  being  sufficient  to  communicate  the  infection, 
it  soon  spreads  to  the  face  and  other  parts  of  the  body.  In 
a  few  days,  with  proper  precaution,  these  symptoms  commonly 
disappear,  but  are  sometimes  followed  by  others  yet  more 
unfavourable.  The  parts  affected  swell  to  a  prodigious  size, 
and  become  exquisitely  painful  ;  pustules  form  and  break 
until  the  whole  surface  becomes  an  offensive  sore,  and  in 
some  cases  death  even  has  ensued.  As  we  were  both  unusu- 
ally sensitive  to  this  poison,  we  were  unwilling  to  expose 
ourselves  to  its  influence  for  any  thing  less  than  eight  dollars 
a  day,  and  we  were  once  more  driven  to  the  island. 

This  now  presented  a  truly  formidable  appearance.  Ima- 
gine an  irregular  field  of  about  ten  acres,  with  the  stones  that 
would  rightfully  belong  to  ten  thousand  acres  of  the  stoniest 
pasture,  collected  on  its  surface  in  piles  of  every  conceivable 
form  and  relative  position.  The  whole  had  been  already 
turned  topsy-turvy,  and  many  parts  two  or  three  times  in 
succession  yet  scattered  parties  of  miners  were  still  at  work  ; 


146  Golden    Dreams 

— our  neighbours  Browne  and  Oldbuck  among  them — and  we 
heard  now  and  then  of  their  making-  fifteen  or  twent}'  dollars 
in  a  day,  tliougli  the  average  would  not  have  exceeded  six 
or  seven.  They  began,  it  hardly  mattered  where,  by  throw- 
ing out  the  stones  with  their  hands  till  they  reached  the 
bottom  of  rotten  granite,  and  had  thus  made  what  is  called 
a  good  face  for  their  hole  ;  and  then,  scraping  off  a  few  inches 
of  the  surface,  they  washed  it  together,  with  the  smaller  stones 
and  the  trifling  quantity  of  earth  that  still  remained.  We 
went  to  work  in  the  sama  manner,  and  after  a  hard  day's 
labour,  found  we  had  made  just  ten  dollars. 

It  rained  gentiy  and  at  intervals  all  the  next  day  and 
night.  AVedncsday  morning  I  rose  early,  and  stejiping  to 
the  door  of  the  tent,  looked  down  towards  the  island.  To 
my  great  surprise,  hardly  space  enough  remained  uncovered 
to  pitch  a  tent  on — in  twelve  hours  the  river  had  risen  fifteen 
feet — our  rocker  was  again  submerged,  and  this  was  the  last 
we  ever  saw  of  it.  I  walked  a  short  distance  up  the  bank, ' 
and  though  I  had  been  over  the  same  ground  a  hundred  times, 
I  was  almost  bewildered  by  the  novelty  of  the  scene.  The 
usually  rapid  river  now  rushed  along  with  the  speed  of  a  mill 
race,  and  a  multitudinous,  deafening  shout.  The  rocks  among 
which  we  had  worked,  and  the  path  where  we  had  walked, 
were  now  all  far  below  the  surface.  The  waters  continued  to 
rise  until  the  whole  island  was  covered,  but  the  next  morning, 
though  it  was  still  raining,  it  again  heaved  its  broad  back 
above  the  waves. 

In  the  evening  we  received  letters  from  home  announcing 
that  a  third  brother  was  on  his  way  to  join  us,  and  was,  per- 
haps, even  then  in  San  Francisco  ;  pleasant  news,  though  we 
had  so  little  encouragement  to  give  him  on  his  arrival. 

Monday,  Jan.  20th,  we  received  a  visit  from  our  old  friend 
and  shipmate,  Capt.  Fayreweather,  now  on  his  way  home. 
It  is  impossible  to  imagine  a  greater  contrast  than  he  now 
presented  to  his  former  self.     When  we  sailed  from  N.  I 


AND   Leaden   Realities.  147 

remembered  him  in  a  long  camlet  cloak,  all  chirping  and  offi- 
cious good  humour — not  even  the  ignominy  of  being  hauled  up 
a  steep  plank,  like  a  beerbarrel  in  a  nightgown,  was  able  to 
ruffle  his  abiding  complacency.  But  now,  his  humour  was  dry 
and  sarcastic,  and  had  that  peculiar  tone  that  persons  of  his 
character  are  apt  to  assume  when  they  wish  to  show  that  they 
consider  themselves  slighted  or  in  any  way  ill-used.  Between 
him  and  the  smallest  man  in  the  ship  there  existed  the  same 
sort  of  antipathy  as  between  the  cat  and  the  mouse,  or  the 
elephant  and  the  pig.  As  this  sentiment  was  instinctive  on 
both  sides,  and  such  as  often  manifests  itself  between  two 
such  opposites,  I  was  not  a  little  amused  at  the  manner  in 
which  he  referred  to  his  puny  antagonist — "  little  Flanders," 
with  a  jerking  emphasis  on  the  first  syllable.  It  really 
seemed  as  if  I  could  hear  the  bones  crack  as  he  mumbled 
him  in  his  mouth. 

We  could  not  help  pitying  the  old  man,  and  fancying — I 
hope  it  was  only  fancy — that  he  was  not  quite  so  stout  and 
comely  as  he  had  been  ;  we  invited  him  to  stay  all  night,  and 
I  gladly  gave  up  my  bed  for  his  accommodation.  As  the 
evening  advanced,  he  waxed  more  merry  and  genial,  and  some 
faint  flashes  of  his  wonted  spirit  showed  what  he  must  have 
been  ere  age  and  disappointment  had  chilled  his  blood  ;  but 
in  the  morning  all  his  fire  was  exhausted,  or  bad  retired 
inward  to  warm  and  strengthen  his  heart.  He  left  us  imme- 
diately after  breakfast,  and  we  soon  saw  him  toiling  up  the 
steep  hill  on  the  other  side  of  the  village,  on  his  way  to  Sacra- 
mento. 

A  scalded  dog,  says  the  Italian  proverb,  fears  cold  water ; 
though  possibly  the  case  might  be  altered  if  the  scalding  were 
administered  on  sufficiently  scientific  principles,  or  if  the  said 
dog  should  happen  to  be  blest  with  a  taste  for  scientific  inves- 
tigation. However,  it  may  still  be  thought  that  our  recent 
experience  with  the  Burke  rocker  should  have  deterred  us 
from  any  further  experiment  of  a  similar  nature  ;  but  the  same 


148  Golden    Dreams 

burning  zeal,  or  zeal  for  burning,  that  impels  that  humble  vie 
tim  of  science,  the  moth,  already  singed  by  the  blaze,  again  to 
venture  within  the  charmed  circle,  and  the  thrice-escaped 
navigator  to  intrude  again  within  the  polar  seas,  was  now 
urging  us  on  to  the  same  fatal  catastrophe. 

It  was  but  too  evident  that  by  the  commonplace  methods 
of  mining  we  should  never  achieve  that  brilliant  fortune  our 
hopes  had  promised — five  dollars  a  day  was  only  fifteen  hun- 
dred a  year,  by  all  the  known  rules  of  arithmetic,  and  it  was 
therefore  incumbent  upon  us  to  strike  out  some  bold  and 
original  plan  of  operations,  which  should  at  once  declare  our 
genius  and  secure  its  reward.  If  we  could  only  get  at  the 
beds  of  the  rivers  without  the  slow,  painful  and  uncertain 
process  of  damming,  and  lay  our  hand  upon  the  riches  that 
had  been  accumulating  there  for  a  hundred  generations,  as 
the  busy  waters  winnowed  away  the  chaff,  we  should  have 
nothing  more  to  ask  ;  but  how  to  accomplish  this  important 
object  was  now  the  question.  Damming,  as  we  have  just 
seen,  was  attended  with  the  greatest  uncertainty — after  months 
of  profitless  and  unremitting  toil,  the  miner  often  discovered 
that  the  portion  of  the  channel  thus  laid  bare  was  absolutely 
worthless,  and  that  all  his  labour  had  been  expended  in  vain. 
Our  first  thought  was  to  convert  a  hogshead  into  a  diving  bell, 
and  invade  the  possessions  of  the  river  gods  in  this  moving 
citadel  ;  but  the  diSiculties  that  beset  the  construction  and 
the  use  of  such  an  awkward  contrivance  left  no  reasonable 
hope  of  success.  I  remembered  to  have  read,  years  before,  of 
some  experiments  made  in  the  harbour  of  New  York  with  a 
curious  invention  called  a  submarine  armour,  and  from  my 
recollection  of  its  operation  on  that  occasion  it  seemed  exactly 
what  was  wanted  for  our  present  purpose.  The  more  I 
tbouglit  of  this  project  the  more  pleasing  it  became — doubt 
slowly  gave  way  to  hope,  and  hope  rapidly  ripened  into  full 
assurance  of  success.  So  I  sat  down  and  wrote  a  letter 
with  trembling  fingers  to  a  friend  in  New  York,  requesting 


And    Leaden    Realities.  149 

him  to  send  me  out  one  of  these  Fortunatus  dresses  without 
delay. 

In  the  mean  time,  though  with  so  brilliant  a  prospect  before 
as,  we  continued  to  work  on  the  island  for  the  contemptible 
pittance  I  have  mentioned,  and  with  the  merest  apology  for  a 
rocker,  which  I  had  patched  up  out  of  the  wreck  of  one  we 
found  on  the  shore  nearly  embedded  in  sand.  We  were  thus 
occupied  one  afternoon  about  the  beginning  of  February, 
Tertium  being  at  the  rocker,  while  I  was  on  my  knees  scraping 
up  the  rotten  granite  with  an  iron  spoon,  when,  hearing  a 
voice  behind  me  that  sounded  tolerably  familiar,  I  threw  as 
much  of  the  California  stoop  out  of  my  shoulders  as  possible, 
to  welcome  my  brother  from  whom  I  had  parted  just  a  year, 
and  a  week,  and  a  day  before,  and  who  now  recognised  us, 
somewhat  to  my  disappointment,  without  difficulty,  in  spite  of 
our  rude  dress  and  unshaven  faces.  As  the  day  was  nearly 
spent,  we  resisted  his  importunity  to  fall  at  once  to  work, 
assuring  him  that  he  would  soon  be  able  to  gratify  his 
natural  ardour  and  curiosity  to  his  heart's  content,  and  in 
the  mean  time  we  were  devoured  with  eagerness  to  hear 
what  he  had  to  say  of  friends  at  home,  and  of  the  incidents 
of  his  journey. 

He  finally  submitted  with  a  good  grace,  considering  how 
sore  a  disappointment  such  a  delay  must  necessarily  be  to  one 
just  arrived  in  the  mines,  and  who,  like  all  in  that  situation, 
is  burning  with  impatience  to  make  his  first  dive  into  the 
treasures  that  lie  strewn  around  him. 

We  took  him  captive  therefore,  and  led  him  in  triumph  to 
our  tent,  where  it  afforded  us  infinite  delight  to  exhibit  our 
housekeeping,  and  to  listen  to  his  simple  questions  on  matters 
that  had  long  since  lost  all  mystery  to  us.  His  feverish  desire 
to  be  employed  at  first  occasioned  us  considerable  perplexity 
— I  shuddered  when  I  saw  his  profane  hand  thrust  into  our 
treasured  deposit,  and  laughed  at  the  scrupulous  care  with 
which  he  cleaned  his  finger  nails  of  the  minute  particles  that 


150  Golden    Dhf.ams 

adhered  to  them  ;  but  I  did  not  feel  easy  till  I  had  settled 
him  quietly  in  one  corner  near  the  stove,  while  I  proceeded  to 
furnish  forth  such  a  supper  as  befitted  the  occasion,  pleasing 
myself  all  the  while  at  the  thought  of  the  agreeable  surprise 
that  was  awaiting  him. 

The  next  morning  we  went  all  together,  a  mile  up  the  river, 
to  consider  a  claim  that  had  lately  been  offered  for  sale.  As 
this  placer  played  quite  an  important  part  in  our  mining 
operations,  and  was  at  that  time  considered  an  exception  to 
all  established  rules,  scientific  or  otherwise,  it  will  be  neces- 
sary to  describe  it  more  particularly.  About  thirty  feet 
above  the  river,  and  separated  from  it  by  still  higher  rocks, 
ran  a  short  ravine  or  gully,  through  which,  ages  before,  a 
portion  of  the  stream  probably  flowed.  The  path  along  the 
river  led  directly  through  this  little  valley,  and  hundreds  of 
miners  had  walked  over  it  without  a  thought  of  the  riches 
that  lay  under  their  feet. 

At  length  came  the  first  great  freshet  I  have  mentioned, 
burying  at  once,  all  the  river  diggings,  and  driving  tlie  miners 
every  where  in  search  of  others.  Curiosity  led  one  to  prospect 
in  this  ravine,  when  he  found,  to  his  equal  surjirise  and  grati- 
fication, that  it  paid  as  much  as  three  or  four  ounces  a  day. 
The  news  spread  like  wild-fire,  and  the  whole  ground  was 
instantly  divided  among  a  dozen  claimants  ;  and  though  it 
did  not  all  prove  equally  rich,  it  continued  for  several  months 
to  yield  a  better  return  than  almost  any  other  in  the  vicinity. 

At  the  time  of  our  visit  the  richer  portions  in  the  bottom 
had  been  exhausted,  and  the  miners  had  advanced  several 
feet  into  the  face  of  the  bank  which  was  here  about  ten  feet 
high,  and  extended  back  from  the  river  in  a  level  plain  several 
hundred  yards.  This  bank,  like  those  on  the  immediate  edge 
of  the  water,  grew  constantly  poorer  the  farther  it  was  ex- 
))lored  ;  but  a  considerable  portion  yet  remained  that  we 
thought  would  yield  us  each  half  an  ounce  a  day.  Our  former 
experience  in  buying  holes  had  made  us  rather  shy  of  this  sort 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  151 

of  merchandize,  but  as  the  price  was  insignificant,  and  the 
prospect  satisfactory,  we,  after  some  hesitation,  paid  the 
money,  and  took  possession  in  the  usual  manner  by  placing  a 
shovel  in  the  hole,  which  was  thus  held  by  as  inviolable  a 
tenure  as  if  it  had  been  locked  up  in  an  iron  safe. 

But  all  this  while  the  reader  should  have  seen  the  rapturous 
novelty  with  which  St.  John,  like  a  new-fledged  butterfly  in  a 
flower  garden,  was  disporting  him  among  the  rocks.  While 
I  was  washing  one  panful  of  earth  after  another,  in  order 
to  be  sure  we  were  getting  the  worth  of  our  money,  he  also 
having  obtained  a  pan,  went  rushing  here  and  there,  thrust- 
ing his  head  into  all  sorts  of  odd-shaped  crevices,  and  scraping 
out,  to  the  infinite  detriment  of  his  fingers,  the  few  handfuls 
of  dirt  and  stones  that  had  lodged  in  them  ;  till  having  at 
length  filled  his  pan,  he  spent  another  quarter  of  an  hour  in 
washing  it  out,  and  then,  with  an  air  worthy  of  some  great 
discoverer,  presented  it  for  our  inspection. 

"  Ah  !  yes,"  we  replied  coldly,  for  we  considered  it  a  duty 
to  dash  his  enthusiasm  somewhat,  "  that  is  very  fair  certainly, 
but  is  there  any  more  dirt  like  it  V 

"  Oh  yes  !"  cried  St.  John  with  the  utmost  animation, 
"  there  is  plenty  more,  only  see  here  !"  and  with  these  words, 
he  fished  out  three  or  four  spoonfuls  of  gravel  from  a  narrow 
cleft  in  the  ledge. 

On  his  way  home  his  inexperience  was  continually  leading 
him  into  fresh  vagaries,  and  I  was  very  glad  that  neither  of 
the  scientific  miners  happened  to  be  present,  as  such  shocking 
perversity  could  not  have  failed  to  arouse  their  most  virtuous 
indignation.  He  walked  with  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  ground, 
like  a  man  looking  for  lost  treasure,  and  trod  softly,  as  if  he 
expected  to  come  upon  it  by  surprise.  The  yellow  mica 
that  glittered  among  the  sand  was  a  never-ending  source  of 
deception.  At  every  step  he  discovered  a  spot  that  he  was 
sure  must  have  gold  in  it,  or,  at  any  rate,  it  would  do  no 
harm  to  try.     It  was  in  vain  that  we  assured  him  that  we 


152  Golden   Dreams 

had  a-'.!-'d  it  already — that  we  even  pohited  out  to  him  the 
very  holes  we  had  dug,  as  indeed  they  might  be  seen  at 
intervals  of  three  or  four  rods  all  up  and  down  the  river  ; 
wherever  there  was  room  for  another  hole  between  two 
already  existing,  his  ignorant  faith  and  ardour,  now  in  their 
newest  gloss,  insisted  upon  making  the  experiment.  We 
spared  no  pains  to  convince  him  of  his  mischievous  error — ■ 
we  knew  that  the  unpalatable  truth  must  sooner  or  later  be 
forced  upon  him,  and  the  sooner  the  nauseous  draught  was 
swallowed  the  better  for  his  peace. 

We  well  remembered  "  witli  what  compulsion  and  laborious 
flight  we  sunk  thus  low,"  and  would  gladly  have  spared  him 
the  same  lingering  painful  pi'ocess.  But  instead  of  gratefully 
receiving  our  well  meant  ridicule  and  friendly  expostulation, 
he  only  hardened  himself  the  more,  and  we  were  at  length 
compelled  to  let  the  disease  run  its  natural  course. 

The  passing  gleam  of  sunshine  that  shone  on  us  immedi- 
ately after  his  arrival,  confirmed  him  in  his  heretical  opinion, 
and  it  was  not  till  he  had  spent  several  days  in  prospect- 
ing that  any  change  for  the.  better  was  discernible  in  his 
behaviour. 

Having  thus  enlarged  our  business,  a  single  rocker  was  no 
longer  sufficient,  and  we  commenced  the  construction  of 
another  that  same  afternoon.  I  finished  it  during  the  whole 
of  Monday,  while  Tertium  and  St.  John  went  up  the  river  to 
make  their  first  experiment  in  our  new  territory.  Their  report 
was  not  very  encouraging — they  brought  back  at  night  only 
eight  dollars  ;  but  as  St.  John  attributed  this  result  entirely 
to  the  rocker,  which  was  indeed  a  wretched  affair,  and  I 
attributed  it,  in  part  at  least,  to  my  not  being  there  to  see, 
Tertium  was  the  only  one  seriously  distui'bed  by  their  ill 
fortune. 

The  next  day  fully  justified  my  expectations.  The  earth 
was  a  most  tenacious  clay  mixed  with  stones  and  gravel ;  the 
whole  forming  a  solid  mass  of  concrete  that  yielded  slowly 


AN-D    Leaden    Realities.  153 

and  painfully  only  to  repeated  blows.  In  spite,  however,  of 
this  extraordinary  hardness,  and  the  distance  of  the  bank  from 
the  river,  one  of  us  found  little  difficulty  in  digging  and  carry- 
ing as  fast  as  the  other  two  could  wash,  the  clayey  nature  of 
the  soil  impeding  this  operation  even  more  than  the  first.  We 
had  now  discarded  the  raisin  box,  with  a  hoop  nailed  to  its 
sides  for  a  handle,  which  had  hitherto  served  us  for  carrying 
earth,  and  had  substituted  a  couple  of  aristocratic  wooden 
buckets,  and  a  very  convenient  implement  known  in  some 
parts  of  the  country  as  a  sap  yoke,  which  if  not  very  flatter- 
ing in  its  associations,  at  least  made  our  labour  a  good  deal 
easier.  We  rested  at  noon  only  long  enough  to  eat  the 
luncheon  we  had  brought  with  us,  and  returned  home  at  an 
early  hour,  where,  on  weighing  the  proceeds  of  our  day's 
labour,  w^e  found  we  had  just  an  ounce  and  a  half. 

Our  bank  continued  to  pay  larger  and  larger  dividends 
all  the  rest  of  the  week  till  Saturday,  when  from  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty  buckets  we  washed  out  nearly  three  ounces, 
more  than  we  had  ever  obtained  before.  After  this  the  tide 
began  to  ebb,  and  our  earnings  gradually  fell  off  from  forty  to 
thirty,  from  thirty  to  twenty,  and  from  twenty  to  fifteen, 
when,  it  being  near  the  end  of  March,  we  finally  abandoned  the 
place  to  go  up  into  the  mountains. 

The  month  of  February  was  unusually  cold,  rainy,  and 
disagreeable  ;  the  sky  was  smooched  with  clouds,  and  there 
were  one  or  two  thick  flights  of  snow^,  which  melted,  however, 
as  soon  as  it  reached  the  earth.  On  the  18th,  Dr.  Browne, 
accompanied  by  the  snuffy  Scotchman,  and  several  others 
from  the  neighbourhood,  set  out  for  the  mountains  ;  but  they 
encountered  a  violent  snow  storm  soon  after  leaving  Colloma, 
and  California  Hat,  who  went  with  them,  became  disheart- 
ened and  returned  to  Mormon  Island  to  wait  for  a  more  fa- 
vourable season.  Oldbuck,  who  had  in  vain  dissuaded  his 
companions  from  their  enterprise,  and  still  remained  inactive  in 
his  snug  quarters,  could  not  conceal  his  gratification  at  the 
7* 


154:  GoldenDreams 

turn  things  had  taken,  both  because  he  was  vexed  that  they 
had  not,  as  usual,  been  governed  by  his  advice,  and  because 
his  superior  sagacity  had  been  so  signally  illustrated.  He 
now  invited  Number  Four  to  lodge  at  his  tent,  and  we  were 
thus  relieved  from  that  horror  of  all  saving  housewives,  the 
necessity  of  making  up  a  spare  bed  every  night,  as  we  had  done 
since  St.  John's  arrival. 

One  Sunday,  about  the  middle  of  March,  while  we  were 
sunning  ourselves  in  front  of  our  tent,  our  attention  was  at- 
tracted by  a  sudden  commotion  under  the  bank,  a  little  to  the 
right  of  the  village,  and  which  was  the  same  so  emphatically 
denounced  by  the  second  scientific  miner.  Huri'ying  to  the 
spot,  we  found  a  large  crowd  desperately  at  work  digging  out 
two  men  who  had  just  been  buried  beneath  a  large  mass  of 
earth.  The  unfortunate  victims  of  their  own  guilty  impru- 
dence had  been  picking  out  the  thin  stratum  of  rubble  at  the 
bottom  of  the  bank,  when  the  overhanging  cliff,  which  was 
composed  of  a  flue  sand,  some  twenty  feet  in  depth,  fell  in 
Fudden  ruin  on  their  heads.  In  about  fifteen  minutes  a  shout 
from  one  of  the  workmen  proclaimed  that  one  of  the  bodies 
had  been  found.  It  was  a  shocking  spectacle — blood,  and 
dirt,  and  death — the  head  first,  falling  on  the  breast,  then  the 
nerveless  arm,  and  at  last,  the  whole  poor,  deserted  body — 
how  swift  had  been  the.  flight  of  the  startled  garrison,  at 
that  dread  alarm,  along  the  v/inding  ways  of  the  heart  and 
veins. 

This  incident  confirmed  the  remark  so  often  made  as  to 
the  insensibility  of  the  miner  to  the  fate  of  his  companions 
Though  there  were  of  course  some  exceptions,  the  indifference 
generally  manifested  on  such  occasions  seemed  to  argue  that 
charity  and  humanity  are  not  the  natural  spontaneous  growth 
of  the  human  heart,  but  a  forced  and  artificial  production  that 
can  exist  only  in  the  hot-bed  of  permanent  society.  After 
satisfying  their  curiosity  to  hear  the  name  and  residence  of 
the  deceased,  the  crowd  disperses,  and  tlie  whole  matter  is 


AND   Leaden    Realities.  155 

speedily  forgotten  amid  more  exciting  interests,  or  remem- 
bered only  as  a  bit  of  gossip  a  little  out  of  the  common 
course.  If  the  sufferers  have  any  friends  to  perform  for  them 
the  last  sad  offices,  they  are  carried  to  tlieir  final  resting-place 
with  little  of  that  solemnity  that  seems  inseparable  from  such 
a  ceremony  ;  and  if  not,  they  are  hurried  into  the  ground 
with  still  more  indecent  haste. 

Spring  was  now  rapidly  advancing.  The  air,  except  du- 
ring rainy  weather,  was  the  most  delightful  that  can  be  im- 
agined, and  far  warmer  than  in  corresponding  latitudes  on 
the  Atlantic  ;  the  mercury  standing  at  noon  on  the  25th 
of  March,  at  82'^  in  the  shade.  Flowers  of  the  greatest 
beauty  and  variety  sprung  up,  as  if  by  magic,  in  a  single 
night;  there  were  here  no  masses  of  snow  and  ice  whose 
gradual  thaw  keeps  back  the  tardy,  lingering  spring  long 
after  the  sun  has  passed  the  equator  ;  he  looked  upon  the 
earth  with  gladsome  eye,  and  every  ray  was  the  birth  of  a 
flower. 

As  we  lay  in  our  tent,  in  listless  idleness,  through  the  sul- 
try hours  of  noon,  the  uninterrupted  buzzing  of  the  flies  that 
already  heralded  the  approach  of  summer,  fell  on  the  ear  like 
the  murmur  of  a  brook  over  its  pebbly  bed,  or  the  sighing  of 
the  wind  among  the  trees  ;  no  sight,  no  unassisted  effort  of 
the  imagination  could  recall  so  delightfully  the  varied  pleas- 
ures of  that  delicious  season — closed  blinds,  open  windows, 
watered  streets,  white  dresses,  ices,  and  fruits,  and  new-made 
hay.  But  we  did  not  go  to  California  for  any  such  purpose 
as  this  ;  it  was  another  shine  and  another  glitter  than  of  sun 
or  flowers  that  we  had  come  so  far  to  seek;  we  could  not  turn 
them  into  coin,  nor  bottle  them  up  for  future  enjoyment. 

Accordingly  the  second  week  in  April  we  prepared,  with 
many  misgivings,  to  leave  our  present  comfortable,  and  even 
luxurious  quarters,  to  encounter  the  hardships  and  privations 
of  a  nomadic  life  among  more  rude  and  uncivilised  regions. 
The  difficulty  attending  the  choice  of  a  location,  and  the 


156  GotDEN    Dreams 

doulot  that  clonded  the  whole  undertaking,  incluied  St.  John 
to  remain  where  we  were  ;  but  this  counsel  was  overruled  by 
a  majority  of  the  company,  and  after  some  hesitation  we  fixed 
upon  the  Middle  Fork  of  the  American  River  as  the  scene  of 
our  summer  campaign. 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  157 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

1T7E  left  Mormon  Island  early  Monday  morning,  leaving 
'  ^  the  trees  that  had  supported  the  ridge-pole  of  our  tent — 
the  heavy  fortification  around  it — and  the  rude  but  not  inele- 
gant bedsteads  where  we  had  slept  so  many  months,  still 
standing  in  their  original  position,  but  looking  weird  and  fan- 
tastic now  that  the  tent  which  had  harmonized  them  so  well 
was  at  length  removed.  It  reminded  me  of  Eothen's  amiable 
shrinking  from  giving  up  again  to  the  desei't  the  little  spot 
of  sand  that  had  borne,  even  for  a  single  night,  the  print  of 
London  boots  and  patent  portmanteaux — and  I  threw  back- 
ward many  an  involuntary  glance  towards  the  bit  of  earth  we 
had  so  long  rescued  from  the  wild,  and  which  seemed  now  to 
renroach  us  for  the  desertion. 

We  packed  the  most  valuable  of  the  articles  we  left  be- 
hind us  ia  a  large  cask,  as  the  safest  storehouse  we  could 
find,  and  left  it  in  charge  of  Xumber  Four  till  our  return. 
We  carried  with  us  our  tent,  bedding,  tools,  cooking  utensils, 
and  a  quantity  of  provisions  ;  and  to  transport  all  this  bag- 
gage we  employed  the  same  individual  of  whom  we  bought 
our  claim  in  the  bank,  and  who  since  that  time  had  been 
engaged  in  a  sort  of  peddling  between  Sacramento  and  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  mines.  Besides  our  own  goods  the  judge, 
for  so  he  was  called,  had  agreed  to  carry  nearly  as  many 
more  for  two  other  parties  who  lived  in  a  ravine  a  mile  up 
the  river,  and  were  now  travelling  in  the  same  direction.  On 
arriving  at  their  houses,  which  were  eovered  with  thatch  quite 


158  G  O  L  D  E  K     D  H  E  A  M  S 

down  to  the  ground,  and  presented  a  very  picturesque  appear- 
ance, we  found  they  had  made  few  preparations  for  departure, 
and  the  wagon  was  consequently  oVjliged  to  wait  several  hours. 
St.  John,  who  had  been  unwell  for  nearly  a  week,  had  now  a 
violent  sick  headache,  and  all  the  symptoms  of  a  bilious  fever  ; 
and  we  tried  to  persuade  him  to  remain  behind  a  day  or  two, 
Lli  his  health  should  be  somewhat  restored,  and  he  could 
travel  with  safety  ;  but  he  insisted  that  he  should  feel  better 
after  we  had  once  started,  and  I  finally  consented  to  walk  on 
with  him  in  advance. 

After  a  brisk  walk  of  several  miles,  we  found  w^e  had  taken 
the  wrong  turning,  and  retracing  our  steps,  we  struck  into  a 
by-path  that  we  concluded  would  lead  us  into  the  Coloma 
road,  and  then  hurried  on  faster  than  ever,  in  hopes  of  over- 
taking our  companions,  who  we  doubted  not  had  entered  the 
path  before  us.  It  had  been  drizzling  undecidedly  all  the 
morning,  but  the  rain  now  poured  down  in  torrents,  and  even 
an  India-rubber  coat  with  which  St.  John  was  provided  proved 
but  an  insufficient  protection.  "We  came  at  last,  however, 
into  the  right  road,  and  stopping  at  the  first  house,  or  rather 
skeleton,  as  there  was  nothing  of  it  but  the  frame,  we  endea- 
vored to  learn  if  our  wagon  had  yet  passed. 

They  could  tell  lis  nothmg,  so  we  crouched  down  on  the 
wet  floor,  and  looked  enviously  at  the  warm  matron  that  was 
frying  some  beef  over  a  cook-stove,  the  only  sight  of  comfort 
anywhere  to  be  found.  Some  parties  of  miners  who  joined  us, 
one  after  the  other,  looked  wringing  wet  and  intensely  un- 
happy. Little  puddles  collected  round  their  feet,  as  round  a 
guttered  candle,  or  a  dripping  umbrella.  They  slapped  their 
iiats  forcibly  against  the  posts  to  free  them  from  the  super- 
abundant moisture,  and  put  them  back  flabbily  on  to  their 
lank  hair.  They  made  no  attempt  at  conversation  except  by 
whistling,  and  the  rain  took  all  the  tune  out  of  that  as  effect- 
ually as  the  stiffening  out  of  a  dickey. 

An  hour  passed  and  still  no  sign  of  our  companions.    The 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  159 

fever  in  St.  John's  veins  was  quelled  by  the  wind  that  searched 
us  through,  and  we  were  compelled  to  warm  our  blood  by  tak- 
ing once  more  to  the  road.  We  measured  back  three  weary 
miles,  expecting  every  moment  to  meet  our  little  caravan  ; 
then,  fearing  lest  we  should  miss  them  in  some  of  the  cross- 
roads, we  hurried  back  to  our  stopping  place,  having  thus 
walked  ten  miles  to  accomplish  not  more  than  three. 

The  wagon  came  along  at  noon  ;  we  hailed  its  appearance 
with  a  sigh  of  satisfaction,  and  resolved  not  to  lose  sight  of 
it  again,  that  day  at  least.  The  road  for  the  next  four  miles 
was  well  nigh  invisible  ;  but  our  course  was  marked  with  toler- 
able certainty  by  the  quagmires  through  which  we  floundered. 
Some  of  the  party  were  kept  constantly  in  advance,  sounding 
the  mire  with  long  sticks  in  order  to  find  the  hardest  bottom, 
and  it  was  nearly  sundown  when  we  came  in  sight  of  our 
intended  stopping  place.  In  sight  of  it,  but  not  at  it,  for 
the  road  here  took  a  wide  circuit  to  avoid  a  low  piece  of 
ground,  where  the  wagon  would  have  been  reduced  to  a  total 
wreck. 

"  Don't  leave  me  here,  boys  ! "  cried  the  judge,  in  despair, 
as  he  saw  two  or  three  skulking  off  towards  the  house,  and 
surveyed  with  rueful  countenance  the  prospect  before  him  ; — 
"  the  mules  can  never  get  through  here  in  the  world — see  that 
now  ! "  and  at  the  word,  the  wheels  on  one  side  sunk  quite  up 
to  the  hub,  and  probably  nothing  but  the  axle  prevented  them 
from  going  quite  out  of  sight.  We  were  now,  however,  some- 
what accustomed  to  this  course  of  things,  so  putting  our  hands 
to  the  spokes  with  sullen  resignation,  while  the  driver  whipped 
and  shouted  on  his  staggering  mules,  we  in  another  hour  ar- 
rived within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  inn,  where  the  wagon 
stuck  fast,  nor  men  nor  mules  could  move  it  fiu*ther,  every 
effort  only  serving  to  sink  it  deeper  in  the  mire. 

We  took  out  our  blankets  and  carried  them  to  the  house, 
while  the  judge  unharnessed  his  mules  and  tied  them  to  a 
tree  in  the  rear  of  the  building.     The  dining-room  was  full  of 


160  Golden    Dream  5 

guests,  and  I  noticed  that,  withont  moving  tlicir  heads,  their 
eyes  continually  followed  the  movements  of  a  buxom  servant 
maid,  who  was  darting  back  and  forth  between  the  supper- 
table  and  a  cook-stove  standing  in  the  open  porch.  The  look 
of  quiet  complacency  that  slowly  came  out  on  their  weary  faces 
was  not  owing  merely  to  the  fragrant  steam  that  was  lazily 
curling  from  the  tempting  dishes  before  them  ;  it  was  dreamy 
and  imaginative,  and  showed  that  their  thoughts  were  far 
away  by  their  own  wives,  and  children,  and  cheerful  firesides. 
After  supper  the  tables  were  crowded  to  one  side,  and  a  sin- 
gle drowsy  candle,  that  could  hardly  keep  its  own  eyes  open, 
watched  over  the  busy  sleepers.  We  spread  our  blankets  in 
the  open  porch  or  verandah,  and  threw  ourselves  down,  satu- 
rated with  mud  and  water,  and  anything  but  enlivened  by  this 
dismal  commencement  of  our  expedition. 

The  next  morning,  however,  the  sun  shone  brightly  ;  it 
dried  our  damps,  revived  our  spirits,  and  gave  us  courage  to 
encounter  the  dangers  of  the  road,  w^hich  the  travellers  who 
came  from  that  direction  represented  as  far  worse  than  what 
w^e  had  already  passed.  We  found  their  accounts  by  no  means 
exaggerated.  We  had  not  gone  far  before  one  of  the  mules, 
stumbling  in  the  slough,  fell  and  broke  the  pole  of  the  wagon, 
which  we  were  then  obliged  to  haul  out  ourselves.  After 
repairing  this  damage,  which  was  a  very  tedious  operation,  we 
again  set  forward  ;  but  were  presently  again  brought  to  a 
stand-still  by  a  long  stretch  of  marshy  ground  where  the 
mules  were  entirely  helpless.  Nothing  was  left  for  us  but  to 
carry  everything  across  on  our  shoulders,  and  then,  pulling 
the  wagon  over  to  firmer  ground,  we  reloaded  our  goods  and 
once  more  got  under  way — all  in  less  than  an  hour.  Broken 
carts  and  wagons  strewed  all  the  road  ;  ten  yoke  of  oxen 
were  sometimes  required  to  extricate  one  of  the  lumbering 
arks  that  had  corae  over  the  plains,  and  we  always  knew  long 
beforehand  when  we  were  approaching  any  place  of  unusual 
difficulty  by  the  shouting,  or  rather  yelling,  of  the  drivers, 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  161 

which  ill  those  profound  solitudes  could  be  heard  to  a  great 
distance. 

By  making  incredible  exertions,  we  succeeded  in  reaching 
"Weaver  Creek,  ten  miles  from  our  last  stopping-place,  and 
here  we  halted  for  the  night.  Quite  a  village  had  grown  up 
here  since  my  first  visit;  a  stage  whirled,  or,  I  should  say, 
crawled  through  just  after  dark,  and,  in  spite  of  the  expostu- 
lations of  the  more  timid  passengers,  kept  on  to  Coloma. 
We  slept  under  the  wheels  of  a  huge  ox-wagon,  over  which 
we  had  spread  the  fly  of  our  tent.  The  night  was  cold  and 
damp,  and  in  the  morning  I  emptied  half  a  pint  of  dew  out 
of  the  hollow  of  the  cloth;  yet  all  the  while  St.  John  was 
drying  up  with  a  burning  fever,  and  his  strength  was  so  far 
reduced  that  he  could  hardly  endure  the  fatigue  of  even  our 
short  journeys.  Tiiere  was  no  help  for  it  now,  however,  but 
to  push  on. 

The  next  morning  we  crossed  the  creek.  It  was  swollen 
by  the  late  rains  into  an  impetuous  torrent,  and  it  was  a  fine 
sight  to  watch  the  long  train  of  wagons  coming  down  to  the 
ford  one  by  one; — a  splash — a  spring — a  scramble  up  the 
gravelly  hill  beyond.  We  crossed  it  lower  down,  on  a  fallen 
tree,  and  entered  at  once  into  the  hill-country.  Here  we 
were  no  longer  incommoded  with  mud,  but  found  nearly  as 
great  an  obstacle  in  the  loose  stones  that  covered  the  road, 
and  the  jagged  rocks  projecting  from  its  surface.  The  for- 
ward axle  received  such  a  strain  in  one  of  these  encounters 
that  it  snapped  just  after  crossing  the  new  bridge  at  Coloma, 
and  we  were  consequently  obliged  to  remain  here  till  the  next 
morning.  We  made  a  good  supper  out  of  our  stores,  slept 
magnificently  in  a  carpenter's  shop,  and  started  the  next 
day,  about  ten,  to  ascend  the  great  Coloma  hill.  We  had 
been  told  that  it  was  utterly  imiDOssible  for  two  mules  to 
draw  a  loaded  wagon  up  this  ascent.  However,  we  succeeded 
in  torturing  our  way  by  spasmodic  efi'orts  to  an  elevation  of 
several  hundred  feet,  and  then,  finding  it  impossible  to  pro- 


162  Golden    Dreams 

ceed  any  further,  half  of  the  load  was  taken  out;  and  while 
the  judge  went  on  to  the  summit,  foUoAved  by  the  rest  of  our 
companions,  I  remained  behind,  to  watch  over  our  goods  and 
assist  liim  in  reloading  on  his  return. 

The  scene  before  me  was  one  never  to  be  forgotten.  Drawn 
back  among  the  bushes  and  trees  that  shaded  the  hill,  I  looked 
down  the  winding  path  upon  a  wide  valley,  like  an  immense 
panorama,  with  the  South  Fork  glancing,  here  and  there,  like  a 
string  of  pearls  among  the  hills,  that  peeped  over  each  other's 
shoulders  on  every  side  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  bounded 
only  in  one  direction,  by  the  everlasting  snows  of  the  Sierra 
Xevada.  Parties  of  miners  flowed  by  in  a  continuous  cur- 
rent, generally  with  packmulcs,  but  now  and  then  a  loaded 
wagon.  All  seemed  bent  on  some  urgent  business;  if  they 
lagged  for  a  few  steps,  the  next  moment  they  roused  them- 
selves, and,  quickening  their  pace,  urged  on  their  unsympa- 
tliizing  four-footed  companions.  It  was  absolutely  awful  to 
see  the  crowds,  and  I  involuntarily  drew  back  farther  into  my 
snug  retreat. 

The  whole  of  the  mining  region  was  at  this  season  in  a 
ferment.  An  ant-hill,  just  disturbed  by  some  sudden  alarm — 
a  crowded  steamboat,  on  the  point  of  starting — afford  apt 
illustrations  of  the  frenzy  that  had  now  invaded  the  entire 
population.  From  a  plausible  conclusion  that  generally  pre- 
vailed that  the  rivers  would  prove  the  richer  the  nearer  their 
source,  the  great  object  with  many  was  to  penetrate  as  far 
into  the  mountains  as  possible.  Rector's  Bar,  far  up  the 
^Middle  Fork,  was  the  principal  point  of  attraction  in  this 
section,  while  hundreds  and  thousands  were  hurrying  with 
the  same  breathless  eagerness  over  on  to  the  Sacramento, 
the  Yuba,  and  the  Feather  rivers. 

Every  one  was  afraid  he  should  be  too  late — that  he  should 
not  go  to  the  richest  placers — that  he  should  not  find  the  for- 
tune intended  for  him — that  he  shouldn't  be  able  to  return 
home  the  coming  wiuter — in  short,  that  he  should  not  improve 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  163 

the  present  golden  opportunity  to  the  very  utmost.  And  the 
question  was,  in  truth,  one  of  no  trifling  interest.  Such  an 
opportunity  would  never  again  present  itself,  and  hundreds 
who  had  thus  far  been  disappointed,  trusted  to  it  as  to  their 
last  resource, — hoping,  in  some  of  these,  as  they  thought,  un- 
trodden valleys,  to  reap  the  same  rich  rewards  that  had  fallen 
to  the  share  of  the  first  adventurers.  On  their  present  deci- 
sion rested,  therefore,  in  great  measure,  all  their  subsequent 
fortune. 

We  entered  into  these  feelings  to  the  fullest  extent. 
Before  us  lay  an  immense  tract  of  mining  country ;  Mur- 
derer's Bar,  Spanish  Bar,  Ford's  Bar,  Big  Bar,  and  Rector's 
Bar,  on  the  Middle  F.ork — the  more  northern  rivers  still 
beyond,  and  caiious  without  number  on  every  side.  We 
knew  nothing  of  all  these  except  by  reports,  and  those  so 
contradictory  that  they  involved  the  subject  in  yet  greater 
perplexity. 

After  several  hours,  I  heard  our  wagon  jolting  down  the 
stony  hill.  We  hastily  threw  in  our  goods,  and  winding  up 
the  long  and  toilsome  ascent,  at  last  reached  the  summit, 
where  we  found  our  companions  lying  prone  at  the  foot  of  a 
steepling  pine,  the  bark  of  which  was  punctured  as  high  as 
we  could  see  with  holes  just  big  enough  to  admit  the  slender 
acorn  that  was  stowed  in  each  for  winter's  use,  but  whether 
of  bird  or  squirrel  we  could  not  discover. 

Georgetown,  fourteen  miles  from  Coloma,  was  the  present 
end  of  our  journey.  This  is  a  small  and  sombre  collection  of 
log-houses  in  the  midst  of  a  dark  pine  forest.  There  are  few 
objects  more  pleasing  and  picturesque  than  a  log-house  stand- 
ing by  itself  in  an  open  clearing;  but  twenty  or  more  of  them 
together,  in  formal  rows,  are  anything  but  attractive.  Tlieir 
dark  rough  walls  drink  up  all  the  sunshine.  They  are  as 
much  out  of  place  as  an  Indian  or  trapper  in  a  great  city, 
and  have  an  air  of  melancholy  about  them,  as  if  they  pined 
for  their  native  solitudes. 


164  GoLDEx   Dreams 

We  found  liere,  however,  a  very  decent  lodging,  where  they 
gave  us  a  good  supper,  swept  the  floor  clean  for  our  blankets, 
and  charged  us  only  two  dollars  apiece  for  all  these  atteutions. 
The  next  morning  before  breakfast  the  judge  hauled  our  lug- 
gage over  to  a  neighbouring  hill,  where  we  suspended  our 
tent  between  two  trees,  and  our  companions  pitched  theirs  at 
a  short  distance,  to  wait  till  one  of  their  number  who  had 
"gone  a  prospecting"  should  give  them  the  result  of  his  ex- 
plorations. 

Monday,  the  15th,  they  started  for  Rector's  Bar,  which 
they  had  finally  selected  as  offering  the  greatest  promise.  We 
would  gladly  have  accompanied  them,  but  St.  John's  illness, 
which  had  now  become  very  serious  and  alarming,  obliged  us 
to  remain  ;  and  before  he  was  well  enough  to  travel,  we  heard 
such  accounts  as  induced  us  to  abandon  that  scheme  alto- 
gether. 

The  week  succeeding  their  departure  was  one  of  uninter- 
rupted quiet.  All  around  us  rose  hundreds  of  "  tall  and  sora- 
brous  pines,"  many  of  which  were  scathed  and  blackened 
by  fire,  their  naked,  branchless  trunks  standing  like  moulder- 
ing tombstones  in  a  churchyard  of  giants.  The  ground  sloped 
away  in  front  into  a  deep  and  iiarrow  ravine.  There  was 
near  us  no  human  sight  nor  sound — a  rising  hill  hid  the  drowsy 
little  village  entirely  from  our  view,  and  the  whirling  tide  of 
which  we  had  so  lately  formed  a  part,  swept  by  unheeded. 

Often,  as  we  lay  reclined  on  the  thick  bed  of  pine  that 
covered  the  floor  of  our  tent,  the  wind  sounding  hollow  among 
the  trees  imposed  upon  us  the  delightful  illusion  that  we  heard 
afar  off  the  bells  of  our  native  city  ;  time  and  space  were  for- 
gotten— everything'about  us  seemed  dreamy  and  unsubstantial 
— a  curious  phantasmagoria,  to  which  we  surrendered  our- 
selves without  any  interfering  reflection.  A  story  that  I  hap- 
pened to  have  with  me,  written  by  Horace  Smith,  and  the 
scene  of  which  was  laid  at  Venice,  was  in  perfect  harmony 
with  this  indolent  after-dinner  existence. 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  165 

Friday,  a  cold  dismal  rain  darkened  this  agreeable  melan- 
choly into  gloom,  and  in  the  afternoon  I  padded  over  to  the 
village  in  quest  of  a  little  excitement.  The  gambling  houses 
were  in  full  blast,  nor  was  this  at  all  a  matter  of  wonder  ;  in 
the  absence  of  all  rational  amusement,  and  on  such  a  day  as 
this,  I  rather  felt  inclined  to  wonder  that  I  did  not  gamble 
myself. 

As  St.  John's  health  was  nearly  restored  by  this  week's 
rest,  it  seemed  time  to  be  looking  about  us  in  search  of  a 
favourable  opening.  The  rivers,  so  far  as  v.-e  could  learn,  had 
not  yet  begun  to  fall,  and  the  accounts  we  heard  from  Rec- 
tor's were  so  discouraging  that  we  abandoned  all  present 
thought  of  advancing  any  further  into  the  mountains.  There 
was  no  lack  of  ravines  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood,  from 
some  of  which  immense  sums  had  been  extracted  ;  but  almost 
every  foot  of  ground  was  appropriated  ;  and  the  labour,  beside 
being  far  more  toilsome  and  disagreeable,  was  entirely  differ- 
ent from  that  to  which  we  had  been  accustomed.  Buried  in 
those  deep  valleys,  shut  out  from  the  wholesome  light  of  the 
sun,  breathing  the  pestilent  damps  of  stagnant  water,  and  a 
rank  vegetation,  the  unlucky  miners  who  worked  there  pur- 
chased their  gold  at  the  highest  possible  rate,  in  cramps,  and 
agues,  and  premature  old  age. 

Our  old  friend  Dr.  Browne  was  only  seven  miles  off,  at 
Ford's  Bar  ;  and  no  better  alternative  presenting  itself,  I  set 
out  early  Monday  morning  to  make  him  a  visit  and  see  what 
could  be  done  at  that  point  in  the  way  of  mining.  My  path 
ran  at  first  through  the  open  level  of  the  pine  forest,  then  cut- 
ting off  the  head  of  Oregon  Caiion,  made  a  sudden  dive  about 
three  miles  from  Georgetown  into  Caiion  Creek. 

Capt.  Fayreweather  in  his  wanderings  had  come  as  far  as 
this  place,  and  had  given  us  a  marvellous  account  of  the  steep- 
ness of  the  hill,  and  the  depth  of  the  valley  ;  where,  he  said, 
the  sun  never  shone,  even  at  midday,  and  the  miners  who  en- 
tered into  it  were  obliged  to  climb  every  evening  to  the  upper 


166  Golden    Dreams 

air  to  expel  and  evaporate  the  noisome  vapours  they  had  ab- 
sorbed. Perhaps  a  little  incident  that  occurred  at  the  time 
may  partially  explain  this  bitterness  on  the  part  of  the  too 
sensitive  old  patriarch. 

One  night,  after  a  long  and  fatiguing  day,  he  found  him- 
self far  from  home,  and  gladly  accepted  the  invitation  of  some 
chance  acquaintance  to  accompany  them  to  their  camp;  but 
when,  after  a  long  tramp  over  two  or  three  high  hills,  they  at 
last  reached  the  spot,  instead  of  the  snug  log  cabin  he  expected 
he  found  nothing  but  two  big  logs  laid  cornerwise  ;  which, 
however  it  might  suggest  the  first  rudiments  or  tender  shoot 
of  what  might  in  time  grow  into  a  royal  palace,  as  jet  af- 
forded but  little  protection  against  the  biting  winds.  His 
friends  having  ushered  him  into  this  truly  aboriginal  bed- 
chamber, set  about  preparing  and  eating  their  own  supper 
without  wasting  a  thought  upon  their  unhappy  visitor,  who 
would  undoubtedly  have  starved  before  morning  with  hunger 
and  cold,  if  he  had  not  fortunately  had  the  precaution  to  fill 
his  pockets  with  bread  and  cheese  before  leaving  home. 

Having  descended  the  hill,  not  without  several  tumbles,  I 
crossed  the  narrow  stream  running  through  the  bottom,  and 
which  was  diverted  from  its  original  channel  in  a  hundred 
places  by  the  indefatigable  miners,  and  again  ascending,  came 
in  less  than  an  hour  to  the  brow  of  the  hill  overlooking  the 
Middle  Fork.  Much  had  already  been  told  me  of  the  rugged 
wildness  of  this  river,  but  I  was  wholly  unprepared  for  the 
scene  that  now  so  suddenly  burst  upon  me.  Two  thousand 
feet  below,  but  so  near  that  it  seemed  as  if  a  vigorous  leap 
would  land  me  in  the  middle,  Ford's  Bar,  like  a  mighty  wed- 
ding cake,  lay  sleeping  in  the  sun  :  the  stones  on  its  surface 
dwindled  into  sugar  plums  and  almonds — the  tents  into  sugar 
houses,  with  almost  invisible  mites  creeping  among  them. 
Directly  Ojtposite,  rose  a  hill  of  still  taller  proportions,  run- 
ning in  and  out,  in  irregular  phalanx,  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
see  up  and  down  the  narrow  crooked  valley — so  crooked  that 


AND    Leaded?    Realities.  167 

the  first  thought  was  of  wonder  how  the  river  ever  got  in — 
the  second  of  still  greater  wonder  how  it  could  ever  get  out. 
A  solitary  turkey-Ijuzzard,  sailing  like  a  practised  skater  iu 
long  swinging  curves  down  the  stream,  now  grazed  with  his 
wing  the  stunted  bushes  on  this  hillside,  and  the  next  moment 
threw  his  shadow  athwart  tlie  rugged  slope  of  the  other. 

To  venture  into  such  a  chasm  was  like  the  frogs  jumping 
into  the  well  ;  but  fortifying-  myself  with  the  reflection  that 
we  should  never  have  heard  of  such  a  place  unless  some  one 
had  returned  from  it  to  the  upper  world,  I  commenced  the 
descent.  The  narrow  shelvy  path  ran  in  short  zig-zags  down 
the  face  of  the  mountain,  and  naturally  supposing  it  to  know 
best,  I  followed  its  example.  I  found  this  mode  of  progression 
much  easier  than  walking,  though  I  was  often  obliged  to  check 
my  career  by  clutching  at  the  low  bushes  that  had  thrust 
their  roots  among  the  disjointed  rocks,  and  in  half  an  hour 
reached  the  bottom,  my  knees  trembling  and  knocking  against 
each  other  so  that  I  could  hardly  stand. 

Dr.  Browne  was  at  the  upper  end  of  the  bar  engaged,  so 
he  informed  me,  in  the  erection  of  a  hospital  for  the  accom- 
modation of  his  numerous  patients  ;  for  since  his  arrival  at 
this  place,  where  he  had  no  longer  to  divide  his  profits  with 
the  cunning  Oldbuck,  he  had  entered  iu  earnest  on  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession.  The  building  or  edifice  honoured  by 
this  lofty  appellation,  was  a  tent  about  six  feet  square,  and 
barely  high  enough  in  the  middle  for  a  man  to  stand  upright. 
It  stood  in  the  midst  of  burning  rocks  without  a  rag  of 
shade  about  it,  and  seemed  in  every  respect  well  fitted  to  test 
the  efficacy  of  fire-practice  in  the  treatment  of  diseases. 

The  prospect  on  the  Middle  Fork  was  not  encouraging, 
and  when  I  left  the  bar,  I  fully  intended  never  to  return.  I 
was  an  hour  and  a  half  in  ascending  the  hill,  whose  slaty  sides 
almost  crackled  under  the  intense  heat  of  the  sun  ;  that  now 
declining  from  the  zenith,  levelled  his  perpendicular  rays  full 
against  the  western  slope.     But  this  being  past,   and  the 


168  Golden   Dreams 

mountain  forest  receiving  me  into  its  grateful  shadow,  I  was 
able  to  give  wider  scope  to  the  consideration  of  the  important 
matter  now  before  me.  Wlicrever  I  turned,  I  was  headed  oft" 
by  the  ugly  question,  "  If  you  don't  go  to  Ford's  Bar,  where 
will  you  go  ?'-'  There  was  no  way  of  dodging  it,  so  we  ef- 
fected a  compromise,  and  I  concluded  to  go  over  a  few  days 
to  give  the  place  a  trial,  the  result  of  which  would  perhaps 
enable  us  to  arrive  at  a  final  conclusion.  So  have  I  seen  a 
long-headed  rat  arguing  to  himself  the  expediency  of  choosing 
a  trap  for  his  future  residence,  and  finally  concluding  with 
equal  sagacity  to  go  in,  just  to  give  the  place  a  trial. 

However,  my  brothers  inclining  to  the  same  opinion,  early 
the  next  morning  I  quietly  submitted  to  having  packed  on 
my  back  the  fly  of  our  tent  and  one  of  our  cradles,  a  burden 
more  inconvenient  from  its  size  than  weight, — St.  John  was 
similarly  equipped  with  our  blankets, — we  each  carried  in 
our  dexter  hand  a  shovel  or  a  pick,  and  thus  accoutred  we 
went  humping  along  the  road,  in  a  strain  of  the  profound- 
est  humility.  Tertium  accompanied  us  to  the  brow  of  the 
hill,  with  the  sap  yoke  and  two  well-filled  buckets  ;  and  then 
returned  to  Georgetown  to  wait,  in  solitary  dignity,  the  arri- 
val of  a  portion  of  our  goods  that  had  been  left  behind  at 
Mormon  Island. 

In  addition  to  our  former  burden,  we  now  each  took  one 
of  the  buckets  in  his  other  hand,  and  committed  ourselves  to 
the  descent.  Subsequent  experience  made  the  difficulties  of 
this  passage  seem  trifling  in  comparison,  but  at  the  time 
they  presented  themselves  with  a  most  formidable  aspect. 
The  elevation,  indeed,  was  inconsiderable,  compared  even 
with  that  of  Mount  Washington,  but  the  steepness  of  the 
path,  its  uneven,  slippery  surface,  broken  into  steps  a 
yard  high,  or  covered  with  minute  fragments  of  slate  that 
afforded  no  sure  foothold,  and,  more  than  all,  our  awkward 
burdens  that  sadly  dislocated  our  centre  of  gravity  even 
on     level    ground,    compelled    us     to    proceed    with    the 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  169 

same  high-strung  intensity  of  muscle  as  a  dancer  on  the  tight 
rope. 

Once  or  twice  I  dropped  in  haste  what  I  carried  in  my 
hands  in  order  to  save  myself  from  ):)lundering  over  a  preci- 
pice by  clinging  to  the  bushes  ;  and  the  rocker  on  my  back 
received  many  an  unlucky  bump,  and  my  dignity  many  a  griev- 
ous affront  from  the  compulsory  sittings-down  that  I  encoun- 
tered. In  an  hour  and  a  half  we  reached  the  bottom  in  safety, 
and  then  picked  our  weary  way  stoopedly  over  the  stones  to  the 
store  where  Dr.  B.  had  fixed  his  quarters.  This  store,  a  large 
oblong  tent,  stood  at  the  upper  end  of  the  bar,  near  the  mouth 
of  a  brook  called  Otter  Creek,  that  found  its  way  down  in  a 
succession  of  small  cascades  between  two  spurs  of  the  moun- 
tain range,  and  emptied  at  this  place  into  the  Middle  Fork. 

We  proceeded  a  short  distance  up  this  stream,  and  kneel- 
ing down  camelwise  upon  the  ground,  contrived,  with  some 
difficulty,  to  ease  our  shoulders  of  their  unaccustomed  burden. 
Our  first  object  after  recovering  somewhat  from  our  fatigue, 
was  to  find  a  few  poles  on  which  to  suspend  our  tent,  or  rather 
the  long  broad  piece  of  drilling  that  was  to  take  its  place. 
Tliis  was  not  so  simple  a  matter  as  it  might  seem  ;  there  was 
nothing  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  but  two  or  three  gi- 
gantic pines  and  scattered  clumps  of  bushes  ;  and  we  had  to 
go  a  long  way  up  the  continuous  arbour  that  shaded  the  creek 
before  we  could  find  anything  fit  for  oar  purpose.  For  bed- 
ding we  covered  the  floor  with  an  aromatic  shrub  resembling 
the  willow,  the  odour  of  which  was  so  pungent  that  it  filled 
our  eyes  with  tears,  and  brought  on  an  interminable  fit  of 
sneezing. 

Having  thus  completed  our  simple  ai'rangements,  we  were 
at  leisure  to  look  about  us,  and  see  what  kind  of  a  world  it 
was  into  which  vv'e  had  fallen.  There  w^ere  about  a  hundred 
miners  in  this  place,  some  of  whom  had  pitched  their  tents,  like 
our  own,  on  the  banks  of  the  creek  ;  but  the  greater  part 
were  scattered  up  and  down  the  bar.  Besides  these,  there 
8 


170  G  O  I.  D  K  N     D  i;  E  A  M  s 

was  at  least  an  equal  number  wlio  had  cami)e{l  here  and  there 
along  the  river  for  several  miles  above  and  bL'low,  but  were  in 
the  habit  of  coming  to  Ford's  Bar  to  buy  their  iirovisions. 
There  were  two  stores,  the  one  already  mentioned,  l^clonging 
to  a  merchant  in  Coloma,  and  kept  by  a  genuine  Xantucketer, 
smooth-faced,  disputatious,  lank,  cadaverous,  and  good  na- 
tured  ;  and  another  about  the  middle  of  the  bar,  owned  by  a 
man  who  was  in  every  resi>ect  the  opposite  of  the  first,  and 
went  by  the  name  of  Dutch  Tom. 

Wednesday,  we  went  to  work  in  a  claim  given  us  by  Dr. 
B.,  who,  having  taken  up  another  of  greater  value,  was  unable 
longer  to  retain  possession.  In  opposition  to  the  prevailing 
rule,  the  surface  was  here  richer  than  the  earth  below,  the 
first  foot  yielding  fifteen  cents  to  tiie  bucket,  and  the  stratum 
lying  immediately  ))eneath,  only  four  or  five.  But  neither 
was  fifieen-ci'ut  dirt  at  all  suited  to  our  notions  ;  we  had 
done  far  belter  than  that  at  ]\Iormon  Island,  and  thought  it 
no  great  things  either  ;  so  the  next  day,  leaving  a  pick  in  the 
hole,  by  which,  according  to  the  laws  of  the  bau,  we  could  hold 
po-session  four  days  witliout  working,  we  set  off  a  prospect- 
ing down  the  river,  in  the  confident  expectation  of  lighting 
upon  a  spot  richer  tlian  we  had  yet  seen  except  in  dreams. 

The  Middle  Fork  here  presented  the  strange  anomaly  of 
a  river  without  banks  ;  the  mountains  stood  face  to  face,  foot 
to  foot,  their  broad  stabbed  toes  actually  fitting  into  each 
other,  and  breaking  up  the  stream  into  a  constant  succession 
of  falls  and  rapids.  The  bar  afforded  comparatively  easy 
walking,  but  this  being  past,  we  found  ourselves  now  sidling 
along  the  face  of  a  precipice,  now  leaping  from  rock  to  rock 
at  its  base.  Here  and  there,  a  little  brook,  bubbling  out  far 
up  among  the  nodding  pines,  came  trickling,  like  tears  or 
sweat,  down  the  deep  wrinkles  of  the  mountain,  till  it  was 
drunk  up  by  the  spongy  moss,  and  juicy  bushes  thick  with 
fragrant  flowers. 

But  wherever  wo  came,  others  had  becu  before  us ;  and, 


AND    Leaden    Keai. ities.  171 

in  fact,  in  all  my  California  rambles — I  record  it  with  grief 
and  shame — I  never  had  the  exquisite  pleasure  of  going  where 
man  had  never  been  before,  and  never,  except  once  or  twice, 
of  digging  a  hole  where  there  were  not  others  all  around  in 
most  disheartening  proximity. 

This  river,  which  we  had  thought  to  find  an  unexplored, 
almost  virgin  stream,  had  been  already  trampled  by  a  thou- 
sand feet,  and  far  more  effectually  ransacked  than  even  the 
South  Fork  itself.  This  was  partially  accounted  for  by  tlie 
comparatively  small  quantity  of  soil,  which  both  in  depth  and 
extent  bore  no  proportion  to  the  broad  deep  banks  of  the 
latlir  river.  Except  on  the  bars  it  was  very  unusual  to  find 
earth  more  than  two  feet  in  thickness  ;  and  often  there  vras 
nothing  but  the  crumbling  slate  in  whose  crevices  the  gold 
had  found  a  lodging. 

The  result  of  our  explorations,  while  it  at  once  precipitated 
us  from  the  pinnacle  of  present  promise,  left  us  the  largest 
liberty  to  hope  as  much  as  we  pleased  from  the  morrow  ;  and 
thus  our  fall  was  broken  by  the  same  never-failing  feather 
bed  of  future  anticipation  on  which  the  gallant  Micawber  so 
often  rested.  The  river  must  fall  some  time  or  other,  though 
it  was  certainly  very  long  about  it  ;  and  then,  every  iDody 
said,  we  should  find  rich  pickings. 

In  the  mean  time  we  were  ^  in  great  perplexity  where  to 
spend  the  next  six  weeks  ;  we  thought  at  first  of  returning  to 
Weavcrville  or  Coloma,  until  the  melting  snows  should  cease 
to  swell  the  rivers,  but  a  natural  aversion  to  taking  any  step 
backward  interfered. 

We  passed  the  evening  at  the  store,  where  a  small  party 
was  usually  assembled  ;  some  engaged  in  card-playing,  othtrs 
in  conversing  on  various  topics,  among  which  the  mines  fur- 
nished the  most  frequent  and  tlie  most  interesting.  Some 
veteran  goki-hunter,  with  the  beard  of  '48  still  on  his  face, 
commonly  occupied  the  post  of  honour,  and,  with  the  impor- 
tance, he  had  also  a  full  share  of  the  license  of  the  profes- 


172  Golden   Dreams 

sional  story-teller.  We  were  of  course,  like  all  good  citizens, 
devout  believers  iu  every  thing  appertaining  to  the  early 
history  of  our  little  colony  ;  and  Ford,  from  whom  the  bar 
received  its  name,  was  with  many  nearly  as  great  a  hero  as 
Ca2)tain  Kidd.  For  three  weeks  iu  succession  he  took  out 
seven  hundred  dollars  a  day  from  a  particular  spot  that  was 
ever  after  regarded  with  almost  religious  reverence  ;  but  being 
then  taken  sick,  he  was  obliged  to  leave  the  mines  and  make  the 
best  of  his  way  down  to  Sutter's  Fort,  at  that  time  the  nearest 
point  where  he  could  obtain  the  necessary  assistance.  Before 
he  reached  the  fort,  however,  he  had  not  only  spent  all  his 
previous  earnings,  but  was  besides  in  debt  to  the  amount  of 
fifteen  hundred  dollars  ;  the  enormous  price  he  had  to  pay  for 
medicine  and  attendance  having  swallowed  up  in  a  few  days 
what  would  have  sufficed  for  his  whole  life. 

Whether  this  story  were  true  or  not,  the  ending  was  in 
strict  accordance  with  all  my  own  observation.  I  had  at 
different  times  encountered  many  of  the  first  year  miners, 
but,  though  they  all  professed  to  have  met  with  the  like 
incredible  success,  not  one  of  them  was  then  a  whit  the  better. 
They  no  sooner  succeeded  in  scraping  together  a  few  thousands 
than  they  either  got  into  a  drunken  frolic  and  drank  it  all  up 
— vrhich  was  no  difficult  matter  with  liquor  at  fifty  dollars  a 
bottle — or  went  down  to  San  Francisco,  where  they  found  at 
the  gaming  table  a  still  more  expeditious  riddance.  This 
universal  delirium  must  be  ascribed  in  part  to  the  ease  with 
which  they  obtained  their  wealth  ;  but  far  more  to  the  char- 
acter of  the  men  themselves — disbanded  soldiers — runaway 
sailors — and  the  half  savage  scouts  or  pioneers  of  civilization 
scattered  over  California  and  the  adjacent  countries. 


AND   Leaden-   Realities,  173 


CHAPTER  XV. 

HAYING  at  length  concluded  to  remain  at  Ford's  Bar, 
we  became  impatient  to  make  some  improvement  in  our 
style  of  living  ;  for,  indeed,  we  were  all  of  us  of  a  somewhat 
soft  and  luxurious  temper,  and  began  already  to  pine  after 
the  fleshpots  of  Egypt  that  we  had  so  unwillingly  left  behind 
us  at  Mormon  Island.  Our  only  cooking  utensil  was  a  coffee- 
pot— we  dipped  our  biscuit  into  a  mixture  of  ants  and  butter, 
and  sweetened  our  coffee  with  ants  and  sugar  in  nearly  equal 
proportions.  This  is,  I  dare  say,  very  delightful  to  read  of, 
but  for  some  reason  we  did  not  find  it  so  pleasant  in  actual 
experience  ;  and  accordingly  the  last  week  in  April  St.  John 
■walked  to  Georgetown,  and  returned  the  next  day  with  Ter- 
tium,  bringing  another  rocker,  and  the  more  indispensable  of 
our  kitchen  furniture.  The  judge  had  not  yet  arrived  with 
the  remainder  of  our  goods,  and  they  therefore  left  the  tent 
still  standing  in  the  ghostly  forest. 

The  next  thing  was  to  provide  ourselves  with  a  more 
commodious  habitation.  "We  ripped  the  fly  apart,  and  having 
sewed  it  together  again  in  the  form  of  a  small  tent,  set  it  up 
in  a  very  convenient  and  agreeable  situation,  a  short  distance 
from  that  we  had  hitherto  occupied.  Between  it  and  the 
water  a  flight  of  rude  steps  led  down  a  few  feet  on  to  a  nar- 
row shelf,  or  platform,  terminating  on  the  side  next  the  tent 
in  a  low  wall,  against  which  we  built  a  fire-place  of  stones. 
By  the  side  of  this  platform,  which  we  intended  to  use  as  a 
kitchen,  was   another  of  somewhat  naiTower  limits,  which, 


1  ^  J  G  O  I.  U  i:  N      D  R  E  A  M  S 

beincr  on  a  k-vcl  with  the  watt-r  and  shadc-d  bv  a  low-hano-in"- 
trof.  fiiniishc'd  a  ])leasant  dining-room  and  place  of  resort  in 
the  small  hours  of  the  afternoon. 

As  we  had  long  \vearied  of  eating  nothing  softer  than 
shii>biscuit,  we  now  determined  to  follow  the  example  of  all 
around  us,  and,  like  good  housewives,  bake  our  own  bread. 
Oiu-  fir-st  experiments  were  not  very  encouraging.  The  sale- 
ratus  and  citric  acid  we  used  instead  of  yeast  produced  but  a 
very  .'■light  effervescciice,  and  our  loaves  were  nowise  remark- 
able for  lightness.  For  a  long  time,  we  were  iu  the  habit,  on 
baking  a  new  batch,  of  throwing  a  mor.sel  into  the  creek,  and 
if  it  floated,  which  did  not  often  happen,  it  was  considered  a 
prodigious  triumph,  which  only  the  most  fortunate  conjuncture 
of  circumstances  could  hope  ever  to  equal. 

But  in  process  of  time  we  abandoned  this  imperfect  method, 
and  first  allowing  our  dough  to  sour,  neutralized  the  acid  with 
a  due  proportion  of  saleratus.  and  thus  succeeded  in  producing 
loaves  which,  as  Dr.  B.  pertinently  remarked,  may  have  been 
surpassed,  but  have  never  been  equalled.  Our  first  cakes— I 
think  I  see  them  now,  round,  saffron-coloured,  of  a  lead-and- 
leathery  consistence— were  baked  in  the  universal  frying-pan, 
which,  like  acting  in  oratory,  is  the  first,  second,  and  third 
requisite  in  a  California  kitchen.  But  this  requiring  too  much 
time,  St.  John,  who  was  something  of  a  tinker,  manufactured 
a  baker,  or  reflector,  out  of  a  tin  box  that  had  contained 
salmon  or  pickled  herring,  and  with  this  our  success  was 
every  way  satisfactory. 

Our  claim  on  the  bar,  originally  of  small  extent,  and,  as 
we  have  seen,  of  no  great  depth,  was  rapidly  lessening,  and 
nothing  now  remained  but  a  circle  of  a  few  yards  in  diameter. 
When  we  first  commenced  operations,  a  tent  occupied  the 
centre  of  our  ground,  and  we  at  once  laid  siege  against  it  in 
regular  form.  We  pushed  our  works  nearer  and  nearer, 
and  with  so  much  spirit  and  success,  that  by  the  fifth  day 
we  had  obtained  possession  of  one  of  the  most  important 


AXD    Leaden   Realities.  175 

outworks — the  kitchen  ;  and  having  thus  stopped  his  sup- 
plies, we  had  strong  hopes  of  compelling  the  enemy  to  an 
unconditional  surrender.  He  held  out,  however,  nearly  a 
week  longer  ;  but  then,  seeing  us  about  to  undermine  his 
outer  Avail,  he  sounded  a  parley,  and  to  avoid  the  horrors  of 
a  storm,  agreed  to  evacuate  the  premises,  and  marched  out 
with  all  the  honours  of  war.  This  was  the  general  rule,  the 
right  of  the  miners  being  considered  paramount  to  all  others, 
and  no  one  )ieing  allowed  to  occupy,  for  building  or  similar  pur- 
poses, ground  that  contained  gold  enough  to  pay  for  v\-ashing. 
As  a  few  days  would  finish  our  work  on  this  spot,  it  be- 
came necessary  to  look  out  for  another.  We  could  find  none, 
however,  of  any  promise  unappropriated,  except  one  a  few 
feet  in  width,  half  a  mile  down  the  river,  and  which  at  present 
resembled  the  little  Frenchman's  water-lots  too  closely  to  be 
of  any  great  value  ;  but  trusting  that  we  should  not  have  so 
long  to  wait  before  walking  over  our  property,  we  threw  an 
old  pick  into  the  river,  leaving  the  handle  just  projecting 
above  the  surface,  as  a  notice  to  all  concerned  that  we  in- 
tended to  work  the  claim  as  soon  as  possible.  Some  more 
ingenious  individuals  kept  always  on  hand  a  store  of  worn-out 
picks  and  broken  shovels  to  be  used  for  this  very  purpose  ; 
and  as  long  as  they  were  undetected,  succeeded  in  retaining 
possession  of  several  claims  all  at  the  same  time  ;  so  that 
the  new-comer  often  found,  to  his  dismay,  every  available 
point  defended  by  this  superannuated  batallion. 

Not  yet  satisfied  with  our  possessions,  and  tempted  by 
the  delicious  shade  in  which  the  creek  was  embowered,  we 
determined  to  give  its  banks  a  trial,  though  they  were  gener- 
ally held  in  very  light  esteem.  We  placed  our  cradle  on  a 
rude  bridge  just  on  a  level  with  the  water  ;  the  trees  springing 
from  the  mossy  banks  on  either  side  formed  a  complete  arch 
overhead,  and  the  whole  scene  presented  the  strongest  possi- 
ble contrast  to  tlic  bar  bleaching  and  blistering  in  the  sun. 
It  was  the  very  poetry  of  mining,  and  paid  about  as  well  as 


176  Golden    DnEAMS 

poetry  in  general,  our  whole  moruing's  work  yielding  only 
three  dollars. 

I  was  so  far  from  being  disheartened  by  this  repulse  that 
a  few  days  after  I  made  a  second  experiment  at  a  spot  not 
far  from  our  own  door.  The  bank  at  this  place  had  appar- 
ently been  formed  by  a  landslide  from  the  adjacent  mountain, 
and  here  both  science  and  experience  agreed  that  gold  was 
especially  likely  to  be  found.  A  pennyweight,  nearly  a 
dollar,  that  I  obtained  from  a  single  panful  of  earth  at  the 
very  outset  of  my  undertaking,  lured  me  on  with  constant 
hope  of  lighting  upou  some  rich  deposit,  till  having  at  length 
struck  the  ledge  at  the  bottom,  and  found  nothing  more,  I 
abandoned  the  project  in  disgust. 

Monday,  about  the  middle  of  May,  I  walked  alone  to 
Georgetown  to  bring  over  to  the  bar  the  remainder  of  our 
provisions.  I  obtained  also  five  letters,  for  which  I  had  to 
pay  ten  dollars,  the  extra  postage  being  charged  by  the 
express  agent  who  brought  them  from  San  Francisco. 

It  was  easy  to  see,  from  expressions  in  these  letters,  and 
indeed  in  all  that  we  received  during  our  absence,  that  our 
friends  at  home  were  still  in  a  most  deplorable  state  of  igno- 
rance as  to  the  extent  of  California.  They  invariably  took  it 
for  granted  either  that  the  mines  were  in  San  Francisco,  or 
at  least  so  near  that  we  could  go  there  as  often  as  we  pleased. 
At  the  same  time  they  seemed  to  suppose  that  we  knew 
nothing  of  what  was  passing  in  the  great  world  ;  and  instead 
of  telling  us  who  of  our  acquaintance  was  born  or  married, 
and  similar  importaut  and  interesting  matters  pertaining  to 
our  little  circle,  they  filled  their  letters  with  such  impertinent 
details  as  the  trial  of  Dr.  Webster,  the  death  of  President 
Taylor,  or  some  misbegotten  battle  in  Hungary,  in  which  we 
either  at  that  distance  felt  no  particular  interest,  or  had  read 
the  whole  story  months  before  in  the  New  York  or  Boston 
papers. 

But  in  spite  of  this  unfortunate  misconception,  our  letters 


AND    Leaden    Rkalities.  177 

were  well  worth  all  we  paid  for  them  ;  it  was  impossible 
wholly  to  exclude  the  air  of  that  home  where  they  were 
written,  and  even  the  simple  envelope  with  its  familiar  super- 
scription came  laden  with  a  thousand  tender  associations. 

In  order  to  transport  our  tent  and  other  articles,  I  hired 
two  mules  and  a  muleteer  at  twelve  cents  a  pound  as  freight, 
for  a  distance  of  only  seven  miles,  the  usual  charge  of  one 
cent  a  mile  being  in  this  instance  increased  on  account  of  the 
extraordinary  difficulties  of  the  way.  This  is  just  two  thous- 
and times  the  cost  of  transportation  ii;i  the  New  England 
States. 

Before  the  end  of  May  our  first  claim  was  quite  exhausted, 
and  the  river  was  yet  too  high  to  permit  us  to  commence 
operations  in  the  other.  In  the  mean  time  three  courses  pre- 
sented themselves— one  was  to  go  to  work  on  the  bar,  where 
we  could  always  make  four  dollars  apiece  a  day — another 
was  to  prospect  with  the  dogged  perseverance  of  a  blood- 
hound, as  others  were  doing,  in  search  of  the  numerous  little 
patches  of  richer  earth  that  still  remained  hidden  under  the 
overturned  masses  of  worthless  rubljish  along  the  banks — 
and  the  third  was  to  do  nothing. 

Pride  and  indolence  both  revolted  against  the  first — we 
had  not  a  large  enough  bump  of  hope  for  the  second — and, 
finally,  the  third  was  far  more  congenial  to  our  temper  and 
inclinations. 

There  was  a  small  circulating  library  at  the  store,  contain- 
ing, for  a  wonder,  some  valuable  books  ;  and  I  found  it  far 
pleasauter  to  sit  in  our  cellar,  v/ith  my  feet  in  the  water,  and 
my  back  against  the  tree  that  embraced  me  with  its  shadow, 
and  read  such  delightful  stories  as  The  Home,  Picciola, 
Lamartine's  Confidences,  and  The  Ancient  Regime,  or  Reg-i- 
me,  as  our  doctor  had  it,  than  to  dig,  and  carry,  and  wask, 
on  the  burning  bar,  with  the  mercury  at  a  hundred  in  the 
shade — and  all  for  only  four  dollars  a  day. 

When  we  tired  of  reading,  or  our  spirits  craved  fiercer 


178  Golden    Dreams 

excitement,  we  stroHod  over  to  the  store,  \Yliere  every  variety 
of  character  presented  itself  for  our  amnsciuent.  A  tax  wliicli 
was  at  this  time  assessed  upon  all  forcigri  miners  produced  a 
great  deal  of  dissatisfaction  among  that  respectable  class  of 
the  community  ;  and  the  question  was  often  argued  with 
considerable  bitterness  on  each  side,  though  Thing,  the  store- 
keeper, and  champion  of  the  liberal  party,  generally  contrived 
to  put  all  concerned  in  good  humour  by  the  unanswerable 
argument  in  which  he  always  took  refuge.  After  exhausting 
all  the  objections  usual  in  such  cases,  as  that  the  law  was 
unjust,  unconstitutional,  and  the  like,  and  thus  rousing  his 
democratic  sympathies  to  the  proper  level,  he  would  exclaim 
with  admirable  pertinency,  and  pausing  for  a  moment  in  his 
labours,  with  the  brimming  scoop  of  sugar  or  flour  in  his 
uplifted  hand,  "  "We  call  America  the  land  of  the  free  and 
the  brave,  and  all  that ;  and  then,  when  the  poor  fellows 
come  here  and  try  to  earn  a  little  money,  we  put  a  tax  on 
their  labour  !" 

At  this  the  assembled  Irish,  Spanish,  Dutch,  and  all  the 
rest  of  the  free  and  the  brave  aforesaid,  who  happened  to  be 
present,  would  express  their  admiring  satisfaction  each  in 
his  own  fashion,  while  the  natives,  equally  delighted,  would 
applaud  uproariously. 

"  And  by  the  powers,"  cried  a  strapping  Hibernian,  who 
rejoiced  in  the  honourable  surname  of  The  Tinker,  and  who 
was  likewise  reported  to  have  a  D  branded  somewhere  on  his 
person,  "and  that's  what  I  call  the  right  kind  of  talk  any 
way.-' 

"  Yecs,"  rejoined  a  paunchy  little  Dutchman,  "  me  tinks 
so  too  ;  Meester  Ting  ish  a  very  nice  man  ;"  while  a  dirty 
Mexican,  adjusting  his  poncho,  reiterated  his  Si  Senor  ! 
muchas  gracias  !  and  othtr  like  points  of  admiration,  with 
all  the  conscious  dignity  of  a  grandee  of  Old  Castile. 

But  these  scenes  had  sometimes  a  far  more  serious  termi- 
nation ;  and  Sunday  especially,  when  the  miners  came  from 


V  N  D    Leaden    Realities.  1 7!) 

every  direction  to  buy  provisions,  seldom  passed  without  a 
drunken  frolic.  The  last  Sunday  in  May  was  particularly 
distinguished  in  this  manner  ;  a  new  rum-shop  had  been 
opened,  and  all  the  hard  drinkers  in  the  neighbourhood  sig- 
nalized the  event  by  swallowing  a  double  allowance  of  liquor. 
They  went  from  one  store  to  another,  drinking  two  or  tliree 
times  at  each,  till  after  several  hours  spent  in  this  v/ay,  they 
reached  that  point  when  their  natural  inclinations  manifested 
themselves  without  restraint. 

An  Irishman  who,  when  sober,  was  a  very  clever  fellow, 
first  attacked  me,  as  I  sat  on  a  jwrk-barrel,  watching  the  pro- 
gress of  this  strange  drama,  asserting  that  I  had  spoken  of  his 
countrymen  the  day  before  in  a  slighting  and  contemptuous 
manner,  and  challenging  me  to  fight.  While  I  was  eagerly 
protesting  my  innocence,  and  assuring  him  that,  on  the  con- 
trary, no  one  had  a  better  opinion  of  them  than  myself.  The 
Tinker  thrust  himself  into  our  party,  and  began,  in  a  thick, 
drunken  voice,  to  give  an  account  of  a  fight  in  which  he  had 
been  the  hero,  but  whether  in  New  York,  or  Mexico,  or  green 
Ireland,  we  could  only  conjecture.  He  illustrated  his  narra- 
tive by  sundry  vigorous  passes  in  rather  unpleasant  prox- 
imity to  the  nose  of  his  patriotic  countryman,  who  thereupon 
taking  sudden  fire,  knocked  The  Tinker  behind  a  row  of  barrels 
that  lined  one  side  of  the  tent,  where  he  lay  a  long  time  un- 
able to  extricate  himself,  his  face  only  peering  at  intervals  in 
drunken  grimace  over  the  wall  of  his  prison.  His  antagonist 
was  rendered  almost  frantic  by  this  easy  victory  ;  he  dashed 
his  hat  furiously  on  the  ground,  and  rolling  his  eyes  and 
twisting  his  face  into  horrible  contortions,  he  flung  his  arms 
about  like  a  stout-hearted  old  windmill,  defying  a  thousand 
or  more  Don  Quixotes  to  mortal  combat. 

A  v/iry  little  Scotchman,  hugging  his  friend  one  moment  in 
maudlin  affection,  and  the  next  launching  out  into  a  strain 
of  high  moral  eloquence — a  doctor,  young,  handsome,  and  of 
good  family,  sitting  ou  the  ground  au4  moaniag  to  himself, 


180  GoldenDreams 

the  very  picture  of  helpless  irabecility, — a  generous,  high- 
spirited  volunteer,  who  hud  led  on  his  company  when  three- 
fourths  were  cut  down  Ijy  the  fire  of  the  ^lexicans,  and  who 
now  whimperingly  called  on  his  friends  to  say  if  he  w^as  a  cow- 
ard,— together  with  half-a-score  of  more  common  soakers, 
quarrelsome  and  ill-tempered,  were  the  principal  actors;  while 
among  the  crowd  of  spectators  there  was  hardly  one  who  was 
not,  more  or  less,  under  the  same  influence. 

They  finally  adjourned  into  the  open  air  with  the  intention 
of  going  on  to  the  next  stopi)ing-place  at  Dutch  Tom's  ;  but 
to  do  this  it  was  necessary  to  cross  the  creek,  here  about  four 
feet  deep,  and  bridged  only  by  a  single  log.  All  but  one 
crossed  in  safety, — some  running,  some  creeping  on  their 
hands  and  knees,  and  others,  to  show  how  entirely  they  were 
unaffected  Ijy  the  liquor,  balancing  along  in  a  kind  of  country 
dance. 

The  dizzy  pate  who  had  fallen  heels  over  head  into  the 
creek,  no  sooner  recovered  his  footing  than,  seeing  a  number 
laughing  at  his  catastrophe,  he  burst  out  with  "  I  spose  you 
think  I'm  drunk,  eh  ?  but  it's  all  one  for  that ;  I  only  jumped 
in  here  acoz  I  was  thirsty.  Anybody  that  says  I'm  drunk,'' — 
here  he  shook  his  head,  with  a  look  of  direful  meaning, — "  I 
say,  anybody  that  says  I'm  drunk —  " 

"Well,"  cried  another,  "  what  is  it  ? — out  with  it,  man." 

"  Well,  anybody  that  says  I'm  drunk — I  don't  care  who 
'tis.  Yoic  think  I'm  drunk  ? "  he  added,  turning  fiercely 
upon  our  little  doctor,  who  had  incautiously  advanced  too 
near  the  edge  of  the  creek  ;  "  do  you  know,  sir,  that  I  was 
graduated,  sir,  at  Edinboro'  ?" 

"  Si,  senor,  I  have  heard  so,"  replied  the  doctor,  who  had 
studied  a  little  Spanish,  and  was,  like  all  the  rest  of  us,  fond 
of  letting  it  off  on  every  occasion. 

"And  do  you  know  who  I  am  ?" 

"  Si,  senor." 

"  Don't  you  say  see  senior  to  me,"  returned  his  amphibious 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  181 

antagonist,  with  druulven  deliberation,  and  shaking  his  fist 
portentously  at  every  syllable  ;  "I  know  what  see  senior 
means  as  well  as  you  do — it  means  darn  your  eyes." 

While  this  was  passing,  a  fierce  dispute  arose  among  the 
crowd  on  the  other  side,  when  one  of  the  combatants  seizing 
a  small  crowbar,  dealt  his  enemy  such  a  blow  on  the  seat  of 
honour  as  fairly  knocked  him  into  the  creek,  then  jumping  in 
after  him,  they  instantly  grappled  with  deadliest  animosity, 
each  striving  to  force  the  other's  head  under  water,  until 
they  were  with  difficulty  separated  by  the  more  sober  among 
the  spectators.  This  did  not  end  the  disturbance,  however  ; 
knives  were  drawn,  and  matters  began  to  assume  a  decidedly 
bloody  aspect,  when  a  miner  named  Graham,  a  man  of  un- 
usual energy,  seized  an  empty  musket  and  threatened  incon- 
tinently to  shoot  the  first  man  who  should  renew  the  contest. 
This  was  an  argument  that  all  could  understand  ;  the  ferment 
gradually  abated,  and  something  like  the  peace  and  quiet  of 
a  Xew  England  Sabbath  was  at  length  restored. 

By  far  the  greater  part  of  the  miners  regarded  these  scenes 
with  abhorrence  ;  and  to  prevent  their  recurrence  as  far  as 
possible,  and  wipe  off  from  Ford's  Bar  the  reputation  of  being 
the  worst  place  on  the  river,  they  appointed  a  meeting  to  be 
held  the  next  day  for  enacting  certain  laws,  and  choosing  offi- 
cers to  see  that  they  were  executed. 

About  fifty  miners  assembled  at  the  time  appointed,  and 
after  a  long  discussion,  arising  from  the  folly  of  some  who 
thought  everything  must  be  done  in  the  same  formal  and 
cumbrous  manner  in  which  parliamentary  proceedings  are  con- 
ducted, in  more  civilized  communities,  a  few  simple  laws  were 
agreed  upon,  Graham  chosen  Alcalde,  and  a  bulky  Missourian 
sheriff  of  Ford's  Bar  and  the  adjacent  diggings. 

The  very  next  day  an  opportunity  occurred  of  testing  the 
new  regime.  The  Tinker  was  again  the  hero  of  the  play. 
Having  swum  the  river,  at  this  place  comparatively  smooth, 
he  entered  the  store  entirely  naked ;  and  after  calling  upon  ns 


182  Golden   Dreams 

to  view  his  fine  proportions,  and  touching-  briefl)'  bnt  with  in- 
finite power  of  expression  upon  his  only  sister,  then  residing 
in  the  elegant  neighbourhood  of  the  Five  Points,  he  slung  four 
bottles  of  brandy  round  his  neck,  and  again  committed  himself 
to  the  rapid  current.  lie  would  undoubtedly  have  reached 
the  other  side  with  little  difficnlty,  even  though  encumbered 
with  his  precious  freight  ;  bnt  having  imprudently  ventured 
to  make  a  display  of  his  amphibious  powers,  he  was  drawn 
into  an  eddy,  and  compelled  to  abandon  his  brandy  to  save 
the  only  thing  he  held  more  dear — his  life. 

Our  hero,  or  rather  our  Leander,  having  thus,  like  hook- 
nosed Cajsar  landing  on  the  shores  of  Britain,  reached  the 
farther  bank  and  escaped  the  dangers  of  the  deep,  was  com- 
pelled to  do  battle  with  a  yet  more  cruel  foe.  Thickset, 
l)ull-headed,  exasperated  by  the  loss  of  that  liquor  in  which 
he  was  a  partner,  the  burly  giant  rushed  upon  The  Tinker, 
who  received  him  nothing  loath,  and  then  ensued  a  combat 
such  as  was  often  witnessed  in  the  classic  games  of  Rome, 
but  is  seldom  seen  in  these  degenerate  days.  The  contest 
was  fierce  and  obstinate — long  time  in  even  scale  the  battle 
hung,  bnt  when  the  dust  cleared  away  from  the  field  of  view, 
our  reporter,  intently  watching  the  progress  of  the  fray  through 
his  levelled  glass,  announced  that  The  Tinker  was  victorious. 

Sitting  astride  on  the  body  of  his  prostrate  foe,  like  Mr. 
Dhu  on  poor  Fitz  Jamie,  or  Warburton  on  his  astonished 
crocodUe,  a  junk  bottle — fit  instrument  for  such  a  deed — 
already  gleamed  high  in  air,  and  the  next  moment,  as  next 
moments  always  are,  would  have  been  too  late,  if  Thickset 
had  not  suddenly  drawn  a  knife  from  his  right  boot,  and  by 
sundry  cuts  and  thrusts  diverted  the  deadly  blow. 

Now  drawing  a  knife  upon  any  one  was  one  of  the  offences 
included  in  our  criminal  statutes  ;  but  the  sage  legislators  of 
Ford's  Bar  no  more  thought  of  including  a  bottle  in  their 
list  of  prohibiied  weapons  than  king  Kehama,  tiiough  pos- 
sessed of  superhumau  wisdom,  thought  of  cbai'ming  his  son's 


AKD    Leaden    Realities.  18o 

life  agaiust  a  stake.  The  Tinker  therefore  escaped,  while  his 
antagonist  having  been  brought  into  court  by  the  sheriff,  and 
tried  before  Justice  Graham,  assisted  by  a  jury  of  three 
iiiembors,  was  fined  twelve  dollars  and  ordered  to  leave  the 
bar  within  twenty-four  hours  under  penalty  of  a  sound  flog- 
ging. Accordingly,  early  the  next  morning  he  was  seen 
ascending  the  mountain,  and  was  shot  several  months  after 
in  a  quarrel  somewhere  below  Mormon  Island. 

This  instance  of  prompt  severity  exerted  a  very  salutary 
influence  ;  though  little  disputes  were  constantly  arising,  the 
services  of  the  judge  were  not  again  called  into  exercise,  at 
least  in  criminal  cases,  through  the  whole  summer,  and  Ford's 
Bar  became  tolerably  quiet. 

Men,  to  be  sure,  still  continued  to  get  drunk.  There  was 
no  attempt  that  I  ever  heard  of  to  introduce  the  Maine  Law 
into  the  mines,  and  the  only  restraint  imposed  upon  their 
excesses  was  an  empty  purse  and  failing  credit,  or  a  feeble 
resolution  of  our  Xantucketer  to  sell  no  more  liquor  to  a  man 
who  was  already  too  tipsy  to  stand  without  leaning  against 
the  counter. 

The  high  moral  Scotchman  before  mentioned  and  one  or 
two  others  were  seldom  seen  when  they  were  not,  to  say  the 
least,  somewhat  elevated.  They  had  long  before  reached 
that  stage  when  a  man  can  hardly  be  said  to  be  himself 
except  when  animated  by  liquor.  Deprive  them  of  that, 
they  were  dull  lifeless  machines,  like  a  run-down  clock,  and 
needed  every  few  hours  to  be  Avound  up  afresh.  Pour  into 
them  a  little  brandy  and  the  effect  was  electrical — the  hidden 
springs  and  wheels  began  to  move,  and  soon  the  whole  com- 
plex apparatus  was  in  active  operation.  Then,  what  flashes 
of  wit  and  humour  !  what  eloquent  harangues  !  what  high- 
toned  moral  sentiments  !  Alas  !  what  hypocrisy,  what  incon- 
sistency is  like  that  of  strong  drink  !  how  high  in  profession, 
how  less  than  nothing  in  practice  I 

Then,  no  matter  what  subject  might  be  started,  our  frieud 


184  G  0  L  D  E  N     D  li  E  A  M  S 

Pop  or  Poppvcoc  was  ready  at  a  moment's  warning  to  mount 
a  box  or  barrel,  and  declaim  for  the  hour  together  in  any 
style  that  should  be  requh-ed,  pathetic,  didactic,  historical, 
or  arguraontative.  The  last,  however,  especially  suited  his 
humour.  In  his  mouth  the  expression,  That's  all  poppvcoc, 
from  which  lie  obtained  his  name,  and  which  he  had  borrowed 
from  some  scenes  in  The  Mysteries  of  Paris,  possessed  an 
almost  magic  significance.  It  was  a  mortal  stab,  a  downright 
crushing  blow  that  could  neither  be  parried  nor  evaded.  No 
matter  how  wisely  his  opponent  argued,  nor  how  good  the 
cause,  the  inevitable  "That's  all  poppycoc,"  broke  through 
all  his  defences,  and  compelled  him  to  an  ignominious  retreat. 
It  was  the  bar  of  iron  forty  feet  long  on  the  shoulders  of  the 
dwarf,  and  equally  confounded  all  degrees. 

The  same  week  on  which  these  events  occurred,  our 
society  received  a  most  agreeable  accession  in  the  person  of 
a  little  German  doctor  with  whom  we  had  become  partially 
acquainted  at  Mormon  Island. 

Dr.  Tabisch  was  a  short  squat  figure,  with  a  low  wrinkly 
forehead,  unusually  wide,  especially  at  the  eyebrows,  small 
piercing  gray  eyes,  and  a  very  large,  long,  and  pointed  nose, 
wearing  its  spectacles,  for  they  plainly  had  nothing  to  do 
with  the  eyes,  way  down  at  its  lower  extremity.  His  mouth 
■was  also  large,  something  between  Washington's  and  Hem-y 
Clay's,  or  the  blind  man's  that  stands  near  the  Old  Brick, 
"With  long  thick  lips,  that  yet  met  when  they  were  at  rest, 
which  to  be  sure  was  not  very  often,  in  a  firm  straight  line. 
He  wore  in  all  weathers  a  long  brown  surtout  secured  under 
his  chin  with  a  single  button  ;  and  being  prevented  by  age 
and  infirmity  from  mining,  he  went  stumping  about  the  coun- 
try, visiting  his  neighbours,  indulging  his  natural  taste  for 
botany,  and  making  regularly,  as  often  as  once  a  month, 
what  he  called  wonderful  discoveries  about  the  gold. 

His  voice  was  his  most  remarkable  peculiarity,  and  would 
have  made  the  fortune  of  half  a  dozen  singing  masters  or 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  185 

ventriloquists.  It  began  way  down  in  his  chest,  and  came 
rolling  and  rumbling,  then  shrieking,  up  his  throat  like  an 
echo  behind  mountains  or  a  locomotive  coming  from  under  a 
covered  bridge.  He  uttered  his  first  words  in  a  smothered 
German  guttural,  and  gradually  raised  his  voice  to  a  sharp 
falsetto  ;  and  if  the  sentence  were  longer  than  common,  he 
went  through  the  same  process  the  second  time.  He  had  a 
habit,  while  speaking,  of  shaking  his  head  in  a  very  impres- 
sive manner,  and  bending  his  face  towards  the  ground,  while 
his  sharp  grey  eye — it  seemed  at  such  times  as  if  he  had  only 
one — glared  terribly  from  under  its  ambush  eyebrows,  and 
his  forefinger,  as  if  to  give  greater  certainty  to  his  aim, 
vibrated  slowly  from  the  end  of  his  own  nose  to  that  of  his 
fascinated  victim. 

Such  flexibility  of  voice  could  not  exist  without  equal 
mobility  of  feature.  His  mouth  worked  incessantly,  whether 
he  were  talking  or  not ;  sometimes  he  champed  the  ends  of 
his  iron-grey  moustache,  at  others  gnawed  his  nether  lip,  or 
protruded  both  as  if  he  were  about  to  whistle  Old  Hundred, 
or  were  trying  to  drink  cider  out  of  an  imaginary  bung-hole 
without  the  aid  of  a  straw. 

Add  to  this  his  strong  German  accent,  the  odd  way  in 
which  he  prolonged  many  of  his  vowels,  those  especially 
belonging  to  his  bass  notes,  and  the  simple  child-like  vivacity 
he  displayed  on  every  occasion,  and  we  had  one  of  the  fun- 
niest, most  agreeable  little  old  gentlemen  I  ever  met  with. 

He  had  been  a  great  traveller — had  seen  much  of  the 
world — and  his  stories  were  none  the  less  interesting  for 
being  delivered  in  such  outlandish  phrase.  According  to  his 
own  account  he  had  been  in  the  allied  army  in  1813,  and 
consequently  entertained  the  most  profound  aversion  towards 
Napoleon  whom  he  allowed  to  possess  no  other  merit  than 
that  of  a  great  legislator. 

"Xapoleon,"  said  he,  in  his  most  characteristic  manner, 
"  was  mean — disagreeable — not  handsome :  he  made  the  monks 


1 86  G  O  L  D  E  N     D  R  E  A  M  8 

of  St.  Bernard  furnish  piece  hrcucl — piece  cheese — glass  wine 
— to  sixty -seven  thousand  men,  and  then  !  only  paid  them 
forty  thousand  francs." 

In  this  sentence  the  words  in  italics  were  thrown  up  with 
a  sort  of  jerking:  emi)liasis,  in  the  highest  falsetto  ;  while  the 
rest,  especially  the  forty  thousand  francs,  was  ground  slowly 
out  in  most  scornful  gutturals. 

Like  most  of  his  countrymen,  he  was  jealous,  and  extremely 
irritable — had  no  relish  of  a  jest — and  was  furthermore 
opinionative  and  dogmatical  to  the  last  degree  ;  so  that  to 
continue  long  on  good  terms  with  him  required  no  little 
caution  and  subserviency. 

He  remained  but  a  short  time  at  Ford's  Bar,  for,  finding 
the  air  of  the  place  unfavourable  to  his  rheumatic  affections, 
he  was  obliged  to  return  to  Mormon  Island,  leaving  his  son, 
who  had  hitherto  accompanied  him,  still  mining  on  the  Mid- 
dle Fork.  '"Well,  doctor,  and  how  much  have  you  made  ?" 
cried  Col.  Oldbuck  one  day  soon  after  his  return. 

"  Five  hundred  dollar,"  returned  the  sturdy  Knicker- 
bocker, in  his  gruffest  tones,  and  not  deigning  to  turn  his 
eyes  on  his  inquisitor,  who,  stepping  out  the  next  moment,  the 
doctor  exclaimed,  "  Impudent  fellaar  !  I  did  tell  him  lie — ask 
how  much  I  made  ! — I  would  tell  any  man  lie." 

Sunday,  the  9th  of  June,  I  attended  church  for  the  first 
and  last  time  in  California.  The  services  were  held  in  the 
open  air,  under  the  shadow  of  a  huge  pine,  a  short  way  up 
the  creek.  The  congregation  were  seated  on  a  pine-log,  and 
the  preacher,  a  strapping  hirsute  individual,  who  went  by  the 
name  of  Old  Grizzly,  stood  at  one  end,  and  thus  poured  hia 
eloquence  into  our  left  car. 

It  was  impossiljlc  not  to  feel  the  influences  of  the  occasion. 
The  listening  mountains,  older  than  the  pyramids — the  laugh- 
ing brook,  their  twin-sister,  yet  so  suggestive  of  eternal  youth 
■ — the  clouds  that  swept  over  the  valley,  and  the  breeze  that 


AN'D    Leaden    Realities.  187 

had  haunted  there  since  creation — all  disposed  the  soul  to  the 
juost  devout  and  lofty  contemplations. 

The  next  day  we  were  invited  to  attend  a  funeral.  Poor 
Tan  Scheick,  a  miner  who  had  been  suffering  several  weeks 
under  two  dreadful  diseases,  scurvy  and  dysentery,  in  more 
dreadful  combination,  had  at  length  given  up  the  unequal  con- 
test. He  was  buried  high  up  on  the  hill-side,  that  his  grave 
might  never  be  desecrated  l)y  the  unrelenting  hands  of  toiling 
avarice.  No  useless  coffin  enclosed  his  breast;  and  there,  in 
more  than  regal  solitude,  with  none  to  elbow  hiui  for  room  or 
grudge  him  his  scanty  six  feet  of  earth,  he  laid  him  down  to 
his  last  sleep. 

There  is  something  very  affecting  in  this  utter  isolation  from 
one's  kind  even  in  death.  On  our  frequent  visits  to  Georgetown 
we  had  often  noticed,  in  a  secluded  spot  a  little  way  from  the 
road,  two  graves  side  by  side,  with  rude  head-boards  contain- 
ing the  names  and  residence  of  the  deceased.  I  was  more  af- 
fected by  this  simple  emblem  of  mortality  than  by  the  costliest 
monuments  of  populous  graveyards.  There  death  has  become, 
as  it  were,  common;  it  is  the  rule,  and  not  the  exception — it 
ceases  to  be  a  distinction,  and  no  longer  affects  the  imagination. 
But,  in  a  new  country,  death  comes  to  us  with  something  of  the 
freshness  of  novelty.  We  are  not  yet  familiar  with  its  aspect. 
We  thought,  perhaps,  that  we  had  left  it  behind — had  escaped 
beyond  its  jurisdiction.  Indeed,  it  always  seemed  to  me  strange 
and  unaccountable  that  men  should  die  in-  California — they 
came  there  for  so  short  a  time,  and  for  so  different  a  purpose; 
unless  it  should  be  thought  they  had  gone  twenty  thousand 
miles  simply  for  that! 

Early  in  June  we  at  length  obtained  possession  of  one 
fourth  of  a  submarine  armour.  We  paid  for  it  three  hundred 
and  twenty-five  dollars,  or  nearly  one  half  our  little  capital; 
but  such  was  my  own  confidence  in  the  success  of  our  schemes 
that  I  parted  with  the  money  that  had  cost  us  so  much  labour 
without  the  least  reluctance.    St.  John  was  less  sanguine,  and 


188  GoLDKK    Dreams. 

I  saw  him  turning  it  over  in  his  pahn  with  an  expression  of 
profound  solicitude,  as  if  debating  the  question  whether  a  fish 
in  hand  were  not  worth  two  in  the  water.  However,  he  soon 
decided,  and  clutching  the  purse  in  his  fist  walked  rapidly- 
down  the  Bar.  When  he  returned,  the  purse  was  empty  and 
the  shai'e  was  ours.  The  remaining  shares  were  held  by  men 
at  Big  Bar,  eight  miles  farther  up  the  river;  but,  for  the  first 
scene  of  their  operations,  they  had  selected  a  spot  about  three 
miles  from  Ford's,  and  reported  to  be  one  of  the  richest  on  the 
Middle  Fork. 

The  distance  from  our  camp,  trifling  as  it  may  seem,  was 
rendered  truly  formidable  by  the  nature  of  the  path  which 
wound  along  the  edge  of  the  river,  sometimes  dipping  beneath 
the  surface  and  at  others  rising  high  on  the  shelvy  face  of  the 
mountain,  or  over  rocks  where  a  single  false  step  would  pre- 
cipitate the  unwary  traveller  a  hundred  feet  down  into  the 
boiling  current.  At  one  place,  called  Jacob's  Ladder,  a  flight 
of  gigantic  steps  brought  the  giddy  climber  to  a  narrow  projec- 
tion resembling  a  pulpit,  though  in  height  a  very  steeple,  over 
whose  tottering  verge,  if  he  had  nerve  enough  to  make  the 
trial,  he  could  see  the  sunken  rocks  and  whirling  eddies  directly 
at  its  base. 

One  dark  and  stormy  night,  soon  after  our  friend  Dr.  B. 
arrived  on  the  Bar,  he  was  called  by  a  stranger  to  go  two 
miles  up  the  river  to  visit  a  man  supposed  to  be  dying.  For- 
tunately, he  had  never  been  over  the  path  before,  or  his  pres- 
ence of  mind  would  certainly  have  failed  him ;  but,  on  returning 
the  same  way  the  next  morning,  he  could  hardly  credit  his 
senses  on  seeing  by  daylight  the  dangers  through  which  he  had 
passed,  in  the  pitchy  darkness  of  night  and  rain,  with  no  other 
assistance  than  tlie  pressure  of  the  hand  or  hurried  warning  of 
his  guide. 

As  these  difficulties  in  effect  greatly  increased  the  distance, 
and  would  render  it  impossible  for  the  one  who  assisted  in 
working  the  armour  to  return  oftener  than  once  a  week,  and 


AND.  Leaden    Realities.  189 

as  he  would  in  consequence  be  exposed  to  many  hardships  and 
privations  from  which  our  more  civiHzed  Hfe  was  comparatively 
exempt,  it  became  a  question  of  considerable  importance  on 
which  of  us  the  lot  should  fall.  The  difficulty  was  removed, 
however,  by  St.  John's  magnanimously  offering  himself  for 
this  enterprise,  which  not  oniy  far  exceeded  our  apprehen- 
sions, but  proved  to  be  the  most  stirring  episode  in  the  whole 
course  of  our  adventures. 

In  giving  an  account  of  his  experience,  I  shall  still  continue 
to  make  use  of  the  third  person,  partly  for  convenience,  and 
partly  from  a  foolish  fondness  I  have  always  had  for  that  in- 
dividual. 


190  G  O  L  D  E  N      D  K  E  A  M  S 


CHAPTER   XVr 


"NVhat  have  we  here  ?  a  man  or  a  fisli  ?  dea''.  or  alive  ?  A  fish ; — he  smells  like  a 
fish  ;  a  very  ancient  and  fislilike  smell ;  a  kind  of,  not  of  the  newest,  Poor  John.  A 
stranfre  fish ! 


XE  alowintf  summers  day,  in  the  ploasaiit  mouth  of  Juuo, 
t\vo  travellers  might  have  been  seen  slowly  wiiidini;  along- 
tlie  narrow  path  tliat  led  from  Ford's  Bar,  on  the  Middle 
Fork  of  the  American  River,  to  Big*  Bar,  eight  miles  above. 
It  needed  but  a  glance  at  the  arms  and  equipment  of  the  first, 
to  see  that  he  was  a  knight  of  distinguished  rank,  wdio  was 
now,  doubtless,  wandering  over  the  world  in  search  of  adven- 
tures. The  light  cap  that  he  wore  on  the  back  of  his  head, 
showed  crisp-curliug  black  hair,  sparkling  eyes,  united  with  a 
rather  thouglitful  and  grave  exprrssion,  as  of  one  equally 
skilled  in  counsel  and  in  fight.  liis  helmet,  which  he  carried 
slung  over  his  left  shoulder,  was  of  very  unusual  dimensions, 
and  apparently  made  of  l)urnished  copper,  that  fairly  dazzled 
the  eyes  of  the  beholder  as  it  glinted  back  the  rays  of  the 
morning  sun. 

If  any  one,  however,  had  taken  the  trouble  to  peep  into  this 
resplendent  headpiece,  he  would  have  seen  enough  to  satisfy 
him  that  this  exalted  personage  was  now  bent  on  some  peace- 
ful mission,  and  had  not  the  most  remote  fears  of  any  encoun- 
ter. Potatoes  and  onions,  with  a  great  piece  of  ancient  Dutch 
cheese,  a  goodly  lump  of  salt  j^ork,  and  a  great  variety  of 
smaller  articles, 'all  of  the  like  harmless  and  soft-hearted  tem- 
per, reposed  quietly  in  its  warm  Ijclly,  as  the  lion,  in  early 


AND    Leauen    Realities.  191 

days,  dandled  the  kid.  The  squh'e,  who,  according  to  the 
custom  of  the  time,  walked  a  few  paces  in  the  rear,  carried, 
with  no  little  difficnlty,  the  remainder  of  his  master's  armour 
It  consisted  of  a  puzzling  pair  of  large  brass  tubes,  somewhat 
in  shape  resembling  an  opera-glass  ;  but  the  experienced  ob- 
server had  no  difficulty  in  determining  at  once  theu'  dangerous 
and  destructive  nature.  They  were  the  invention  of  a  very 
profound  philosopher,  who  proposed  to  destroy  his  enemies 
without  the  effusion  of  blood,  by  cunningly  sucking  the  breath 
out  of  their  body.  The  squire  carried  this  cumbrous  imple- 
ment of  destruction  astride  on  his  shoulders,  and  in  his  right 
hand  grasped  a  weapon  more  suited  to  his  degree,  and  of  the 
same  description  as  was  erewhile  employed  by  that  distin- 
guished jester,  the  Saxon  Waniba,  in  his  renowned  combat 
with  Isaac  the  Jew 

A  stout  pair  of  blankets,  strapped  firmly  to  his  back,  com- 
pleted the  squire's  equipment,  and  showed  that  he  was  ready 
at  any  time,  if  need  were,  to  bivouac  in  the  open  air. 

The  sun  had  sunk  behind  the  western  hills — the  broad 
shadow  had  slid  across  the  river  and  crept  noiselessly  up  the 
steep  face  of  the  mountain  on  their  right;  but  still  our  travel- 
lers toiled  on,  now  dipping  their  dusty,  burning  feet  in  the 
cooling  flood,  now  balancing  cautiously  along  the  narrow 
path,  where  a  single  false  step  would  have  been  destruction, 
and  where  one  resolute  man  could  have  held  the  pass  against 
a  thousand  foes.  The  stars  were  already  appearing  in  the 
darkened  sky,  when  they  at  last  halted  beneath  a  sombre 
pine  that  had  thrust  its  roots  deep  in  among  the  rocks. 

The  place  seemed  well  chosen  to  guard  against  attack  ;  on 
one  side  v/as  the  river  shutting  off  all  approach  in  that  direc- 
tion ;  behind  them  was  a  rugged  mountain  which  no  one  in 
his  senses  would  think  of  descending  ;  and  on  either  hand  the 
narrow  path  rendered  all  access  almost  equally  difficult.  The 
knight  disencumbered  himself  of  his  helmet,  and  laid  it,  with 
dne  regard  to  its  precious  contents,  carefully  in  a  hollow  be- 


192  Golden    Dreams 

side  him ;  the  squire  did  the  same  with  his  breath-compelUiig 
weapon,  and  after  a  frugal  supper  of  bread  and  cheese  they 
stretched  themselves  on  the  smoothest  part  of  the  rock,  and 
were  soon  fast  asleep. 

All  this  might  have  been  seen,  dear  reader,  and  that  too 
without  any  gx'eater  stress  of  imagination  than  is  usually 
demanded  on  similar  occasions  ;  though  strict  \cracity,  that 
veracity  that  forms  so  pleasing  and  fundamental  a  part  of  the 
character  of  bully  Bottom,  may  require  a  little  explanation. 

In  good  sooth  then,  our  knight  was  no  knight  at  all,  but 
simple  Ethan  Allen,  not  of  revolutionary  memory,  but  one  of 
his  numerous  descendants,  degenerated  from  that  rantipole, 
thundering,  Ticonderoga  hero  into  a  soft-tongued,  smooth- 
faced varlet,  who  hated  the  British  by  hereditary  right,  and 
still  swore  by  the  Continental  Congress.  I  had  the  honour 
of  being  his  humble  companion,  and  the  deadly  mischief  on 
my  aching  shoulders  was  neither  more  nor  less  than  the  pon- 
derous air-pumps  that  were  to  furnish  a  substitute  for  gills  in 
our  proposed  aquatic  incursions. 

Having  given  this  brief  word  of  caution,  we  will  continue 
our  narrative  in  the  more  sober  style  befitting  a  grave  and 
discreet  chronicler.  We  had  expected  to  find  the  rest  of  our 
companions  awaiting  us  at  the  appointed  place  of  meeting  ; 
but  they  did  not  make  their  appearance  till  the  next  morning, 
when  we  at  once  set  about  making  the  necessary  preparations 
for  putting  the  machine  in  operation. 

From  one  to  two  hundred  pounds  of  shot  were  required  to 
overcome  the  buoyancy  of  the  armour  ;  and  as  this  could  not 
be  obtained  nearer  than  Coloma,  Allen  started  alone  on  this 
errand,  leaving  to  the  rest  of  us  the  work  of  constructing  a 
raft.  Incredible  as  it  may  seem,  the  preliminary  operations 
necessary  to  this  simple  undertaking  occujjied  us  a  whole 
week  ;  the  only  trees  fit  for  the  puri)ose  gVew  high  up  on  the 
mountain,  and  when  we  had  at  last  succeeded  in  felling  them, 
the  still  more  arduous  task  remained  of  getting  them  safely 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  193 

down  to  the  river's  brink.  Tlie  easiest  and  most  natural  method 
was  to  set  them  in  motion  by  crowbars  and  long  levers,  when 
tlieir  own  momentum  would  without  any  further  trouble  on 
our  part  carry  them  crashing  down  the  steep  ;  but  besides  the 
danger  of  losing  them  altogether  by  their  plunging  into  the 
river,  their  ungovernable  rage  and  impetuosity  would,  in  case 
of  their  striking  any  sufficient  obstacle,  dash  them  into  a  hun- 
dred pieces.  We  were  accordingly  compelled  to  proceed  with 
the  utmost  caution,  and  let  them  down  gradually  by  a  rope 
passed  once  or  twice  round  a  tree,  in  the  same  way  that 
whalemen  check  the  fierce  flight  of  their  victim  in  his  frenzied 
efforts  to  escape. 

This  being  at  length  accomplished,  we  proceeded  to  throw 
them  into  the  river,  when  one  after  another,  as  fast  as  they 
reached  the  water,  sunk  like  a  stone  beneath  the  surface,  and 
settling  cosily  side  by  side  at  the  bottom,  left  us  staring 
at  each  other  with  a  ludicrous  mixture  of  amazement  and 
indignation.  Greater  amaze  could  hardly  have  seized  the 
followers  of  the  pious  Eneas  when  their  ships  threatened  with 
hostile  flames  plunged  goddesses  of  the  sea  beneath  the  waves. 
There  was  no  time  to  be  lost,  however,  in  useless  lamentation  ; 
and  finding  by  this  decisive  experiment  that  live  timber  knew 
too  much  to  swim,  we  immediately  commenced  a  search  for 
some  drier  and  more  stupid  material.  Some  distance  above 
our  claim  we  found  lodged  among  the  jagged  rocks  where  it 
had  been  left  by  some  previous  freshet,  a  mighty  pine  bleached 
as  dry  and  white  as  the  thigh  bone  of  some  antediluvian  mon- 
ster. Its  spongy  elastic  fibre  long  set  at  defiance  our  united 
efforts,  but  having  at  last  cut  it  into  logs  of  a  convenient 
length,  we  rolled  them  into  the  water,  and  guided  them  down 
the  river  by  long  ropes,  the  rapidity  of  the  current  rendering 
the  task  as  difficult  as  the  steepness  of  the  hill  had  done  be- 
fore, and  often  threatening  to  wrest  the  log  entirely  from  our 
control. 

It  was  usual  for  the  miners  to  rest  several  hours  during  the 
9 


104  Golden    Dreams 

heat  of  the  day  ;  but  tliough  our  work  was  far  more  jaborious, 
our  impatieuce  to  finish  this  undertakinjj;  hardly  permitted  us 
to  relax  our  efforts  for  a  moment.  Several  days  while  we 
were  thus  occupied,  the  mercury  stood  at  105°  in  the  shade 
and  the  reader  can  but  faintly  imagine  what  we  endured 
standing  on  burning  rocks,  exposed  to  the  fierce  reflection 
from  the  water,  and  at  the  same  time  obliged  to  exert  our 
energies  to  the  utmost  in  overcoming  the  stupid  obstinacy  of 
large  sticks  of  timber,  of  all  labour  the  most  humiliating  and 
discouraging. 

From  six  till  seven  we  toiled  without  intermission,  stopping 
only  an  hour  at  noon  for  dinner,  and  sleeping  in  the  open  air, 
on  the  softest  rocks,  with  no  other  canopy  than  the  branches 
of  a  spreading  oak,  through  whose  scanty  foliage  I  could  see 
the  stars  winking  and  Winking  in  my  face. 

We  found  little  time  for  conversation  during  the  day,  and 
it  might  be  supposed  that  we  should  have  had  little  inclina- 
tion for  it  at  night  ;  but  weary  as  I  was,  I  could  not  resist 
the  garrulity  of  one  of  my  companions,  whose  amusing  narra- 
tive, continued  night  after  night,  might  well  sustain  a  compari- 
son with  the  more  classic  stories  of  Scheherezade. 

Passing  over  the  earlier  parts  of  his  history  in  which,  as 
with  other  distinguished  characters,  his  birth,  whooping  cough, 
and  measles  occupied  the  principal  portion,  we  come  to  the 
time  when  the  young  "Weaver,  for  such  he  was  entitled,  first 
displayed  his  ardent  love  of  heroic  adventure  by  running 
away  from  home,  and  embarking  in  a  long  and  hazardous 
voyage  in  pursuit  of  mackerel. 

This  was  the  turning  pomt  in  his  life  ;  and  from  this  appa- 
rently unimportant  step  the  skilful  historian  will  easy  trace 
all  his  subsequent  career — all  those  striking  ideosyncracies 
that,  whether  they  betrayed  the  greatness  or  the  weakness  of 
his  character,  equally  distinguished  him  from  the  mass  of 
ordinary  men  around  him. 

The  fishy  odour  of  that  first  voyage  still  lingered  about  his 


AND   Leaden   Realities.  195 

person,  as  grateful  to  his  senses  as  to  others  the  bank  of 
violets  where  they  had  played  in  childhood.  He  loved  to  talk 
of  barrels  and  of  quintals,  of  schools  of  mackerel  and  of  cod  ; 
till  in  his  flowing  figures  the  little  fishing  smack  assumed  the 
state  and  importance  of  some  mighty  whaler,  and  his  puny 
prey  was  invested  with  all  the  terrors  of  Leviathan. 

'No  such  mackerel  were  ever  seen  in  these  degenerate  days, 
and  no  such  storms  as  he  then  encountered.  When,  in  pro- 
cess of  years,  the  greater  love  of  ease,  and  lessening  spirit  of 
adventure  induced  him,  yet  unwillingly,  to  give  up  what  had 
hitherto  been  his  favourite  pastime,  he  manifested  his  icthyolo- 
gical  propensities  and  the  strength  of  early  associations,  by 
declining  his  affections  upon  an  oyster.  In  the  society  of 
those  amiable  and  suggestive  testacea  he  passed  many  grate- 
ful hours,  sailing  the  while  in  fancy  o'er  his  much-loved  Banks 
of  Newfoundland,  or  watching  the  dying  flounderings  of  some 
gigantic  cod  that  had  erewhile  yielded  to  his  victorious  hook. 

His  observations  on  life  and  manners  in  the  metropolis  of 
New  England,  had  about  them  the  same  smack  of  fishy 
sagacity,  plainly  declaring  from  what  som'ce  his  philosophy 
had  been  derived. 

"  Boston,"  said  he,  with  a  melancholy  shake  of  the  head 
at  the  tender  recollection  of  some  earlier  passages  in  his  varied 
experience,  "  Boston,  I  will  allow,  is  a  mighty  dangerous  place 
for  a  man  to  be  out  o'  nights  :  yet,  somehow 'r  other,  I  never 
felt  very  ticklish  about  it,  though  they  know't  I  was  in  the 
habit  of  carrying  about  considerable  sums  o'  money.  Many 
and  many's  the  time  'at  I've  been  through  some  o'  the  very 
worst  places  in  the  city,  with  as  much  as  a  gallon  or  two  of 
isetei's,  and  sometimes  the  money  for  'em,  too;  but  nobody 
ever  offered  to  touch  me — I  s'pose  acause  they'd  a  kind  o' 
stinking  notion  'at  I'd  be  likely  to  prove  an  ugly  customer. 

"  The  gentleman  as  I  was  a  working  with  used  oUus  to 
send  me  to  carry  the  iseters ;  '  'cause,'  says  he,  '  Weaver's  a 
man  as  can  be  depended  on,  and  what  he  says  he'll  do,  he'll 


196  Golden    Dreams 

do.'  I  remember  one  day,  when  we  was  all-fired  busy — 
seems  to  me  folks  in  Boston  never  ate  so  many  iseters  before — 
a  gentleman  was  going  to  have  a  large  party,  and  he  sent  for 
me  to  come  and  help.  Boss,  'cause  we  was  so  busy,  you 
know,  was  agoing  to  send  somebody  else;  but  the  gentleman, 
he  says,  says  he,  '  I  don't  want  nobody  but  Weaver.'  So  I 
went,  and  I  was  out  in  the  kitchen  a  opening  iseters  for  dear 
life,  when  the  gentleman  he  came  out,  and  asked  me,  why  I 
didn't  go  in  and  see  the  folks.  So,  bimeby,  I  went  in — I  had 
on  my  best  close,  and  looked  about  as  smart  as  any  on  'em — 
and  his  wife  and  daughters — he  had  four,  and  they  was  none 
o'  yer  milk-an'-water  things  either— they  said,  '  how  d'ye  do, 
Mr.  Weaver  ?  We  are  very  glad  to  see  you.'  So  I  told  'em 
I  was  very  glad  to  see  them;  and  then  I  sat  down  and  talked 
awhile,  and  bimeby  somebody  said  sumthin'  about  iseters — so 
I  began,  and  told  'cm  all  I  knew  about  it,  and  all  about  my 
going  a-mackereling,  and  they  was  so  interested,  you  never 
see. 

"  And  then,  sich  a  supper  as  they  had  !  It  was  just  the 
beatimost  thing  I  ever  did  see  ;  for  they  was  real  tii>top 
folks,  and  no  mistake — and,  as  for  the  iseters,  you  may  be 
sure,  I  looked  out  for  them  myself. 

"So,  after  the  party  was  over,  and  the  folks  was  going 
home,  the  gentleman  steps  up  to  me,  before  'cm  all,  as  perlite 
as  could  be,  and  says,  says  he,  '  we're  very  much  obliged  to 
you,  Mr  Weaver;  I  really  don't  know  how  we  should  ha'  got 
along  without  you:'  and  then  he  offered  to  pay  me  for  the 
iseters;  but  I  wau't  agoing  to  do  no  sich  thing.  'Not  a  cent,' 
says  I,  '  not  a  cent;'  for  I  thought  'twould  be  real  shabby  to 
go  to  his  party,  and  then  make  him  pay  for  the  iseters.  So 
he  put  the  money  back  into  his  pocket,  and  everybody  laughed 
and  looked  so  tickled,  'at  I  knowcd  I'd  done  just  about  the 
right  thing.  And  then  he  said,  he  hoped  he  should  have  the 
pleasure — I  misremcmbcr  the  exact  words,  but  that's  near 
enough — of  seeing  me  again  at  his  house,  some  tune  'r  other, 


AND    Lkadex    Realities.  197 

and  so  I  mean  he  shall  ;  for,  as  soon  as  ever  I  git  ten  thous- 
and dollars,  I'm  going  straight  back  to  Boston,  and  I  mean 
to  call  on  him  the  very  first  thing. 

"And,  then,  I'm  going  to  the  old  shop  where  I  used  to 
work;  and,  first,  I  shall  call  for  a  dozen  raw — and  then  I 
shall  call  for  a  dozen  fried — and  then  for  an  out-and-out  stew; 
and  then  !  I'll  walk  up  to  the  counter,  and  pay  'm  in  gold 
dust !  won't  that  make  'em  stare  ?" 

When  the  cunning  Weaver  had  woven  so  much  of  his  fan- 
tastic web,  he  invariably  turned  over  and  went  to  sleep — very 
wisely,  as  I  thought;  for,  surely,  no  wit  of  man  could  blow  a 
more  airy  and  buoyant  bubble  than  that  on  which,  balloon- 
like, he  now  set  sail  for  the  land  of  dreams. 

The  morning  brought  with  it  less  seductive  realities.  For 
breakfast  we  had,  at  first,  coffee  without  sugai' — the  sugar 
and  pepper  having  become  too  intimately  blended  during  their 
rough  journey  to  answer  their  legitimate  purpose — ship  bis- 
cuit, with  a  bit  of  pork  or  bacon,  and,  now  and  then,  a  dish 
of  stewed  beans.  After  living  this  vv  ay  a  week,  we  obtained 
a  keg  of  butter  and  a  small  quantity  of  flour;  and,  one  even- 
ing, "  Now,"  says  Weaver,  "  I'm  going  to  have  some  nice  bis- 
cuit for  supper,  so  hold  on,  boys,  I'll  have  'em  ready  in  a 
twinkling." 

Weaver  was  a  short,  thick-set  fellow,  and  wore  a  pair  of 
oilcloth  pantaloons,  strikingly  suggestive  of  his  former  avoca- 
tions. Owing  to  their  natural  gummy  and  adhesive  nature, 
their  original  colour  had  been  overlaid  and  aggravated,  some- 
thing like  a  painter's  palette,  by  numerous  successive  layers 
of  every  variety  of  hue,  among  which,  however,  dirt-colour 
was  decidedly  predominant.  This  process  of  accretion  had 
been  carried  on  with  most  perseverance  and  success  on  that 
part  of  his  nether  garments  that  would  naturally  stand  in 
greatest  need  of  such  patching,  and  which,  from  constant 
manipulation,  now  exhibited  a  truly  Parthian  polish,  almost 
dazzling  to  behold. 


198  Go LDEx    Dreams 

Having  emptied  a  due  proportion  of  flour  and  water  into 
one  of  the  larsre,  shallow  tin-pans  used  in  mining,  Weaver 
gave  his  hands,  fresh  from  their  day's  work,  a  desperate  slide 
over  the  part  aforesaid,  and,  without  more  ado,  plunged  them 
half  up  to  the  elbows  into  the  paste.  A  liberal  supply  of  saler- 
atus  was  added,  and,  in  half  an  hour,  he  placed  upou  the 
smooth  stone  that  served  us  for  a  table,  two  small  loaves  of  a 
greenish-yellow  complexion  and  about  the  consistency  of  a  mid- 
dling-boiled egg. 

"  There  !"  said  he,  triumphantly,  as  he  drew  a  long  knife 
from  his  boot,  and,  breathing  upon  it,  gave  it  a  preparatory 
wipe  over  his  breeches,  "  that's  what  I  call  despatch.  Xow 
for  some  butter  !" 

The  butter  was  brought  in  a  plate,  already  bearing  the 
indisputable  marks  of  pork  and  beans;  though  a  bowl  would 
have  been  the  more  fitting  receptacle,  the  heat  of  the  sun  hav- 
ing converted  the  Contents  of  the  keg  into  a  state  of  perfect 
fluidity. 

"Xever  mind,"  said  TVeavei*,  "  I'll  fix  it  to-morrow  ;"  and 
with  the  word,  five  knives  clashed  together  on  the  bottom  of 
the  plate,  and  returned  as  if  they  had  been  dipt  in  oil. 

Weaver  was  as  good  as  his  word  ;  he  had  said  that  he 
would  fix  the  butter,  and  he  did.  Sometime  the  next  day, 
the  butter,  which  had  partially  cooled  during  the  night,  hav- 
ing again  melted,  he  set  the  keg  in  the  edge  of  the  water  ; 
and,  not  long  after,  we  witnessed  the  novel  and  pleasing  spec- 
tacle of  what  seemed  a  river  of  oil  or  honey.  The  water  had 
risen,  as  it  did  regularly  once  in  twenty-four  hours,  and  the 
whole  of  our  butter  issuing  out  of  the  keg,  had  floated  tran- 
quilly down  the  stream. 

The  next  morning,  when  Weaver  was  preparing  to  renew 
his  culinary  operations,  I,  by  some  manoeuvre,  called  his  at- 
tention to  a  man  just  performing  his  matin  ablutions  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river,  and  cautiously  suggested  that  it 
might  be  as  well  to  follow  his  example.     He  received  the 


AND    Leaden   Realities.  199 

hint,  as  if  the  idea  had  just  dawned  upon  him  for  the  first 
time;  and,  having  bathed  his  hands  and  face,  declared  that, 
really,  he  didn't  know  before  how  much  better  a  man  felt 
after  being  washed ;  and  he  thought  it  would  be  a  good  plan 
to  do  it  every  morning,  or  at  least  as  often  as  every  Sunday. 

I  am  sorry  that  I  am  unable  to  state  whether  this  knight 
of  the  knife  and  the  shell  ever  attained  the  summit  of  his 
modest  ambition  ;  but  I  am  rather  impressed  with  the  belief 
that  he  never  succeeded  in  throwing  off  his  old  habits,  and 
may  still  be  found  at  his  former  quarters  in  Devonshire  street, 
l)usily  and  not  ignobly  employed  in  studying  his  favourite 
s.  ience  of  conchology. 

On  fastening  our  logs  together  by  wooden  bolts  and  ropes 
of  bark,  we  found  the  raft  thus  constructed  altogether  inade- 
(juate  to  sustain  the  necessary  weight  consisting  of  four  men, 
the  armour  weighing  about  one  hundred  pounds,  and  nearly 
double  that  quantity  of  shot  ;  but  by  means  of  ropes  attached 
to  the  outer  corners,  and  made  fast  to  the  rocks,  we  made  it 
sufficiently  buoyant  to  answer  for  the  first  experiment ;  and 
or.r  eager  impatience  would  not  admit  of  any  longer  delay. 

As  none  of  our  company  felt  willing  to  play  the  part  of 
diver,  we  hired  for  that  purpose  a  man  who  had  already  been 
down  in  one  of  "  the  masheens"  at  home,  and  now  gladly 
embraced  the  opportunity  of  making  somewhat  higher  wages 
than  he  had  been  in  the  habit  of  receiving.  It  was  not  a 
little  curious  and  amusing  to  watch  the  operations  of  his  toilet 
while  preparing  for  the  descent, — seldom  is  the  proudest  belle 
wiiile  being  drest  for  a  ball  waited  upon  by  more  zealous  and 
obsequious  attendants  ;  he  seemed  indeed  like  some  turtle  fed 
alderman  now  disabled  by  gout  or  other  infirmity,  and  de- 
pendent upon  the  services  of  others. 

Our  nabob  divested  of  all  but  shirt  and  pantaloons,  seated 
himself  on  a  stone,  while  two  of  his  ready  servitors  pulled  on 
his  boots  and  breeches  all  in  one — a  suit  of  genteel  black  very 
wide  at  the  hips  and  having  a  copper  ring  round  the  waist. 


200  Golden    Dreams 

We  next  arrayed  his  liighmightiness  in  a  close  jacket  of  the 
same  fashion,  with  a  second  ring  at  the  bottom,  and  at  the 
top  a  monstrous  copper  basin  somewhat  larger  than  a  water 
bucket,  "within  which  his  head  seemed  to  have  shrunk  away 
like  a  dried  filbert  in  its  shell."  He  looked  out  through  two 
glass  eyes  having  that  lidless  stare  peculiar  to  the  sculpen, 
and  there  was  a  still  larger  window  opposite  his  mouth,  open- 
ing by  a  screw  in  order  to  give  him  air  while  dressing. 

The  jacket  and  trowsers  were  screwed  firmly  together  by 
means  of  the  two  copper  rings— the  bags  of  shot  and  sand 
tied  over  his  shoulders  and  round  his  waist — the  viser  closed, 
and  the  air-pumps  at  the  same  moment  put  in  motion.  A 
long  hose  of  India  rubber  connected  the  pumps  with  the 
top  of  his  helmet,  and  as  the  uuwieldly  figure  rose  to  its  feet, 
and  waddled  forward  to  the  edge  of  the  raft,  while  the  inrush- 
ing  air  puffed  out  his  flabby  skin  to  its  full  extent,  he  looked 
like  an  infant  elephant  on  its  hind  legs,  or  some  of  the 
monstrous  idols  of  heathendom,  among  which,  however,  he 
would  certainly  have  carried  off  the  palm  for  ugliness.  He 
Was  not  like  most  other  amphibious  animals,  awkward  and 
clumsy  on  land,  but  all  alert  in  the  water  ;  his  awkwardness 
never  deserted  him,  and  the  ridiculous  splash,  it  could  hardly 
be  called  a  plunge,  with  which  he  settled  mto  what  seemed  a 
more  congenial  element,  reminded  me  of  nothing  so  much 
as  Ma'am  Bridges  sitting  unexpectedly  down  in  her  own 
wash-tub. 

After  he  had  been  gone  some  ten  minutes,  and  no  signal 
twitch  had  been  given  at  the  cord  provided  for  that  purpose, 
we  began  to  look  at  each  other  with  a  mysterious  sort  of 
dread,  and  debate  the  expediency  of  pulling  him  up.  My 
own  position  at  the  pumps  prevented  me  from  taking  any 
more  active  part,  but  I  did  my  best  to  induce  my  companions 
to  haul  him  in  without  any  further  delay,  and  they  at  length 
yielded  to  my  expostulations.  But,  to  our  infinite  consterna- 
tion, we  now  found  all  our  strength  unable  to  move  him  from 


AND   Lkaden   Realities.  201 

the  bottom  ;  and  crying  out,  all  at  once,  to  a  party  of  miners 
on  the  opposite  bank,  two  of  them  came  in  a  canoe  to  our 
assistance,  and  by  pulling  directly  over  the  spot  where  the 
diver  lay,  succeeded  in  bringing  him  to  the  surface. 

We  drew  him  hastily  to  the  shore,  and  opening  the  visor 
saw,  within  the  depths  of  the  helmet,  a  countenance  paler  than 
that  of  Ivanhoe  when  he  fainted  in  the  very  presence  of  the 
Queen  of  Love  and  Beauty,  at  the  gentle  and  famous  passage 
of  arms  at  Ashby  de  la  Zouche.  Long  after  his  armour  had 
been  removed,  he  still  lay  apparently  lifeless, — and  it  was  an 
hour  before  he  could  give  us  any  account  of  his  misfortune. 
He  then  told  us  that  walking  along  the  bottom  he  had  sud- 
denly stepped  into  a  hole  behind  a  rock,  and  was  having  the 
best  time  he  ever  had  in  his  life,  when  all  at  once  he  fell 
asleep. 

He  was  not  in  the  least  disturbed  by  the  imminent  danger 
he  had  escaped  so  narrowly,  and  declared  his  readiness  to 
make  a  second  trial,  if  a  place  could  be  found  free  from  rocks, 
and  where  the  water  was  sufficiently  clear  for  us  to  see  him 
from  the  surface. 

As  no  such  place  was  to  be  found  in  that  vicinity,  all  our 
previous  labour  went  for  nothing  ;  we  abandoned  our  raft,  and 
moved  several  miles  further  up  the  river  to  a  spot  not  far 
below  Big  Bar,  and  said  in  the  high  flown  language  of  the 
miners  to  contain  a  cart  load  of  gold. 

The  sand  bags  proving  quite  unfit  for  the  purpose,  Allen 
again  set  off  in  search  of  an  additional  supply  of  shot  ;  and 
the  rest  of  us  set  to  work  with  redoubled  energy,  to  construct 
a  second  and  larger  raft,  with  such  improvements  as  our 
hard-won  experience  suggested. 

In  the  meantime  I  went  down  the  river  to  Ford's  Bar  to 
purchase  a  stock  of  provisions,  and  a  number  of  articles 
required  in  oar  delicate  operations.  Having  bought  a  hun- 
dred weight  of  flour — a  small  quantity  of  pork,  sugar  and 

9* 


202  Golden  Dreams 

coffee — and  a  laru-e  coil  of  rope  at  Dutch  Tom's,  I  hired  him 
and  a  mule  to  carry  them  to  our  camp. 

As  it  was  utterly  impossible  for  a  mule  to  make  his  way 
on  the  shore,  we  determined  to  ascend  the  mountain  and 
keep  along  the  summit  as  far  as  was  convenient,  and  then  get 
down  the  best  way  we  could.  The  hill  in  question  resembled 
nothing  so  much  as  a  monstrous  hyena,  up  whose  tail  we  now 
slowly  climbed,  till  we  reached  its  spinous  bristly  back  bone, 
where  the  travelling  was  comparatively  smooth.  Having  at 
length  arrived  as  near  as  I  could  judge,  at  the  proper  point, 
we  began  to  descend  ;  but  had  gone  only  a  few  rods  when  the 
mule  came  to  a  full  halt,  and  Dutch  Tom  declared  that  it  was 
altogether  out  of  the  question  for  man  or  beast  to  go  any 
further  ;  he  had  been  over  all  the  worst  places  within  fifty 
miles,  but  this  was  a  little  too  much  even  for  him. 

I  coaxed,  I  threatened,  I  expostulated  in  vain.  I  offered 
to  give  him  ten  dollars  more  than  the  price  we  had  promised, 
if  he  remained  faithful  to  his  agreement,  and  assured  him,  on 
the  other  hand,  he  would  never  receive  a  dollar  if  he  deserted 
me  in  such  a  situation — but  he  swore  that  if  the  flour  were 
turned  into  gold  it  would  be  no  temptation,  and  urged  me  not 
to  make  the  venture.  I  told  him,  however,  that  I  could  be 
as  obstinate  as  any  Dutchman  of  them  all ;  and  finding  me  as 
good  as  my  word,  he  unloaded  his  mule  and  set  out  on  his 
return  with  that  unpleasant  coolness  and  deliberation  for 
which  his  countrymen  are  so  remarkable,  and  which  I  found 
it  mere  affectation  to  attempt  to  equal. 

In  fact  I  was  not  cool  at  all,  and  could  have  thrashed 
the  perfidious  Nederlander  with  hearty  good  will,  but  as  he 
was  now  beyond  my  reach,  I  vented  my  rage  with  far  greater 
ease  and  safety  against  the  inoffensive  sack  of  flour,  pleasing 
myself  all  the  while  with  the  thought  that  I  was  demolishing 
a  broad-skirted  Dutchman  at  every  kick.  When  I  was  tired 
of  this  exercise,  I  sat  down  again  to  rest  and  think  what  I 
had  best  do  next. 


AND     L  E  A  D  C  N     REALITIES.  203 

It  was  now  nearly  sundowu — the  valley  below  lay  in  deep 
shadow  which  was  slowly  creeping  with  a  broken  irregular 
front,  and  with  the  stealthy  tread  of'  an  Indian  army  up  the 
mountain.  Tired  and  exhausted  as  I  was  by  our  long  march 
under  a  burning  sun  I  had  yet  no  time  to  rest ;  and  no 
sooner  had  the  sound  of»hoofs  died  away  in  the  distance  than 
I  sprang  to  my  feet  and  commenced  my  descent. 

Having  first  marked  the  place  as  carefully  as  I  could,  I 
made  a  bundle  of  ?ome  of  the  more  mdispeusable  articles, 
weighing  in  all  some  eighty  pounds,  and  lashed  it  firmly  to  my 
back  in  order  to  leave  my  hands  at  perfect  liberty.  The  face 
of  the  mountain  consisted,  like  that  at  Ford's  Bar,  of  broken 
slate  that  continually,  as  it  was  started  by  the  feet,  slid  away 
in  little  streams  awaking  a  strange  curiosity  to  see  how  far 
they  would  go.  A  scattered  growth  of  shrubs  and  vines 
covered  the  ground,  but  the  first  were  too  brittle  to  be  of 
much  service,  and  the  thorns  that  guarded  the  latter  only  tore 
my  clothes  and  scratched  my  hands  and  face  without  in  the 
least  retarding  my  downward  course.  Crouching  down  on  my 
feet  I  sometimes  slid  straightforward  a  distance  of  several 
rods — at  others,  I  was  obliged  to  advance  more  slowly  in  a 
diagonal  direction,  when  I  could  not  help  wishing  that  my 
legs,  like  those  of  the  animal  called  the  brocke,  were  of  unequal 
length,  that  they  might  correspond  better  to  the  sloping 
surface. 

After  proceeding  thus  painfully  about  an  hour  I  came 
almost  before  I  was  aware  upon  a  perpendicular  precipice 
from  one  to  two  hundred  feet  in  height,  which  seemed  effect- 
ually to  bar  all  further  progress  in  that  direction.  I  could 
now  hear  however  the  roar  of  the  river  with  great  distinct- 
ness, and  the  sound  inspiring  me  with  fresh  energy,  I  resolved 
to  make  the  attempt.  I  accordingly  took  my  pack  from  my 
shoulders,  and  having  thrown  it  into  what  seemed  a  clump  of 
bushes  at  the  foot  of  the  precipice,  prepared  myself  to  follow, 
though  with  somewhat  greater  deliberation. 


204  Golden    Dreams 

lu  my  cooler  moments  I  should  have  shrunk  at  once  from 
so  perilous  an  undertaking  ;  but  I  was  now  possessed  with  a 
sort  of  stupid,  unreasoning  courage  that  prevented  me  from 
seeing  the  full  extent  of  the  danger,  and  probably  actually 
diminished  it  in  the  same  proportion. 

T!ie  first  part  of  the  way  was  by  no  means  difficult  ;  I  dis- 
covered on  closer  inspection  a  narrow  shelf  descending  steeply 
along  the  face  of  the  precipice,  affording  barely  room  for  my 
feet,  so  that  in  order  to  preserve  my  balance  I  was  obliged  to 
advance  in  a  sidling  direction  with  my  face  to  the  rock,  and 
my  fingers  constantly  thrust  into  the  narrow  seams  that  mapped 
its  surface.  The  shelf  terminated  abruptly  about  fifty  feet 
from  the  summit,  and  for  a  moment  I  saw  no  way  of  continu- 
ing my  descent.  Creeping  slowly  back  the  path  I  had  just 
travelled,  I  came  in  a  few  steps  to  a  sort  of  fissure  in  the 
rock  about  two  feet  in  width  and  penetrating  deeper  than  my 
eye  could  follow.  By  bracing  my  feet  against  the  opposite 
sides  of  this  hollow,  I  thought  I  would  descend  in  the  same 
manner  in  whicb  a  sweep  works  his  way  up  and  down  a 
chimney. 

It  was  a  peculiarity  of  the  state  of  mind  I  was  then  in  that 
the  moment  any  plan  presented  itself  I  hastened  to  put  it  in 
execution.  In  a  few  minutes  I  found  myself  far  below  the 
point  at  which  I  had  started,  the  numerous  hollows  and  pro- 
jections in  the  sides  of  my  chimney  alfordiug  an  excellent 
foothold  ;  but  now  a  new  difficulty  presented  itself  The 
chasm  had  insensibly  v>'idencd,  till  now,  with  my  feet  planted 
firmly  against  one  side,  and  my  hands  braced  against  the  other, 
I  found  it  no  easy  matter  to  maintain  my  position.  To  ascend 
seemed  an  effort  wholly  beyond  my  strength,  yet  another  step 
downward  might  plunge  me  headlong  on  to  the  rocks  below. 
The  little  light  that  found  its  way  into  the  mouth  of  the  chasm 
did  not  enable  me  to  see  the  bottom,  but  I  naturally  concluded 
that  the  depth  was  considerable. 

Cautiously   sliding  my   hands   a  little   lower,  and   then 


AND    Leaden   Realities,  205 

stretching  out  one  foot  as  far  as  possible,  I  found  to  my  utter 
consternation,  that  the  wall  retired  so  rapidly  at  this  point 
tliat  it  was  entirely  beyond  my  reach.  My  limbs  which  had 
been  before  as  rigid  as  iron,  now  seemed  weaker  than  a  child's, 
but  it  was  only  for  a  moment.  The  next  my  hope  revived, 
and  I  resolved,  desperate  as  it  seemed,  to  make  an  attempt 
to  return.  But  just  then  a  stone  detached  by  my  foot  fell 
into  the  chasm.  I  listened  to  hear  it  strike  with  the  same 
sort  of  curiosity  as  if  I  had  lieeu  in  perfect  safety  ;  but  to  my 
great  surprise  no  sound  followed.  Could  it  be  that  the  hollow 
was  so  deep,  or  had  it,— and  I  trembled  at  the  thought,— 
fallen  so  short  a  distance  as  to  make  no  noise  ?  It  would  be 
easy  to  determine  the  fact  by  another  trial,  but  on  making 
the  effort  I  could  not  find  a  single  stone  that  was  loose.  I 
succeeded  however,  by  a  violent  effort,  in  getting  my  hand 
into  my  pocket  ;  and  taking  out  my  knife  dropped  it  care- 
fully in  the  middle  of  the  chasm  and  the  same  moment 
heard  it  strike  just  at  my  feet.  A  single  step  placed  me  on 
the  level  ground  at  the  bottom,  which  had  b''.eu  all  the  while 
scarcely  an  inch  beyond  my  reach.  I  gropeJ  about  till  I  had 
found  my  knife  ;  and  following  the  slender  ray  of  light  that 
streamed  from  a  short  distance,  soon  felt  the*  cool  breath  of 
the  river  ou  my  burning  brow. 

Our  camp,  it  fortunately  happened,  was  not  far  off,  where 
my  sudden  arrival  astonish'ed  my  companions  almost  as  much 
as  if  I  had  fallen  from  the  moon.  I  was  too  much  exhausted, 
however,  to  satisfy  their  curiosity,  and  lost  no  time  in  stretch- 
ing myself  out  ou  my  bed  of  rocks  with  a  far  keener  sense  of 
rest  and  enjoyment  than  the  bridal  chamber  of  the  St.  Nich- 
olas could  ever  bestow. 

I  dreamed  all  night  of  rolling  down  hill  in  a  barrel  stuck, 
full  of  nails  ;  and  in  the  morning,  when  I  came  to  feel  my 
bruises  and  look  at  my  torn  and  bleeding  hands,  I  almost  be- 
lieved my  dream  to  be  real ;  hardly  a  spot  in  my  body  but 


206  G  O  L  D  K  N     D  R  E  A  M  S 

was  as  black  and  blue  as  if  I  had  been  Imuted  by  a  legion  of 
fairies  through  every  forest  iu  Christendom. 

In  less  than  a  week  our  raft  was  completed  ;  it  was  much 
larger  than  the  other,  with  an  opening  at  one  end,  over  which 
we  erected  a  stout  triangle  or  tripod  to  assist  in  raising  and 
lowering  the  diver.  For  more  than  a  month  we  continued  to 
struggle  against  a  series  of  delays  and  vexations  such  as  must 
necessarily  attend  an  undertaking  of  so  great  magnitude  in  a 
new  country  ;  but  after  all,  the  thing  itself  was  the  chief 
obstacle, — all  others  were  finally  surmounted,  but  we  were 
apparently  as  far  as  ever  from  attaining  our  object.  The 
diver  was  almost  entirely  helpless  in  his  moving  prison  ;  he 
was  unable  to  remain  under  water  more  than  a  few  hours  a 
day,  and  came  out  dripping  with  perspiration  and  trembling 
as  if  he  had  the  ague. 

More  than  once  he  was  overtaken  by  the  same  fit  or  faint- 
ness  that  had  so  alarmed  us  before,  and  we  were  thus  kept  in 
a  state  of  constant  apprehension.  He  found  it  nearly  impos- 
sible to  use  a  pick  or  shovel  under  water,  but  contrived  by 
means  of  a  small  scoop  to  fill  an  iron  pot  we  lowered  down  to 
him;  and  though  it  contained  little  gold,  this  trifling  achieve- 
ment raised  considerably  the  spirits  of  the  more  sanguine  of 
our  party. 

I  had  for  some  time,  however,  ceased  to  feel  any  lively 
faith  in  our  success,  and,  on  consulting  with  my  brothers,  we 
all  agreed  that  there  was  little  hope  of  doing  anything  that 
season,  and  determined  to  sell  our  share  without  further  delay. 
An  opportunity  soon  ofl"ering,  I  disposed  of  our  quarter  of  the 
armour  for  four  hundred  and  ninety-five  dollars,  to  be  paid 
two  days  after  at  Coloma;  and  thus  ended  six  weeks  of  the 
severest  labour  I  ever  encountered. 


AND   Leaden   liEALiTiES.  207 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

WHILE  St.  John  was  occupied  as  narrated  in  the  pre- 
ceding chapter,  we  remained  at  Ford's  Bar,  and  prayed 
that  the  river  might  speedily  fall. 

The  same  day  on  which  we  bought  the  armour  I  went 
with  Dr.  Browne  to  a  spot  not  far  from  Jacob's  Ladder,  to 
put  up  a  notice  of  our  intention  to  construct  a  wing-dam  at 
that  place  as  soon  as  the  water  permitted.  This  simple  bit 
of  paper,  with  our  names  and  signatures  attached,  was  posted 
in  a  conspicuous  position  on  a  tree  hard  by,  and  secured  to  us 
possession  of  the  territory  therein  described  as  effectually  as 
all  the  sealed  and  witnessed  and  recorded  formalities  of  more 
artificial  society. 

The  spot  we  had  selected  had  been  found  unusually  rich 
the  year  before,  and  it  was  but  natural  to  conclude  that  a 
great  deal  of  the  precious  deposit  still  remained,  which  could 
be  reached,  however,  only  by  a  wing-dam.  This  is  nothing 
but  a  thick  mound  or  dike  of  stones  and  earth,  projecting 
half  way  across  the  river,  and  then  running  down  the  stream 
fifty  or  perhaps  several  hundred  feet.  When  possible,  it  is 
built  just  above  a  fall  or  rapid,  which  lowers  the  water  in  the 
partially  enclosed  space  sufficiently  to  enable  the  miner  with 
long-handled  shovels  to  dig  out  the  earth  without  much  diffi- 
culty; Ijut  when  no  such  rapids  are  to  be  found,  the  only  ad- 
vantage of  a  wing-dam  consists  in  the  stillness  of  the  water, 
the  current  being  generally  so  violent  that  it  would  be  quite 
impossible,  without  some  such  expedient,  to  raise  a  shovelful 
of  earth  above  the  surface. 


208  Golden   D  k  k  a  m  s 

The  miner  then,  standing  in  the  water  up  to  liis  middle, 
scoops  up  the  gravel  from  the  bottom,  and  either  flings  it  on 
to  the  bank  or  empties  it  into  a  bucket  held  by  one  of  his 
companions.  Much  of  the  gold  is  unavoidably  lost  by  this 
imperfect  process,  but  the  labour  is  so  slight  compared  with 
the  ordinary  method  of  damming,  and  requires  so  much  less 
expenditure  of  time  and  money,  that  the  miner  can  well  afford 
to  overlook  its  peculiar  disadvantages. 

With  a  wing-dam  in  prospect,  and  one  fourth  of  a  sub- 
marine armour  in  actual  possession,  we  thought  we  might 
safely  bid  defiance  to  fortune.  The  water,  however,  was  yet 
too  high,  and  in  the  mean  tune  we  worked,  though  very  inter- 
ruptedly, here  and  there  along  the  banks,  sometimes  making 
half  an  ounce  apiece,  and  at  others  spending  the  whole  day  in 
prospecting  without  earning  a  dollar.  The  12.th  of  June  was 
uncomfortal)ly  cool,  and  a  slight  shower  fell  in  the  morning, 
the  first  rain  we  had  known  for  more  than  six  weeks.  The 
next  day  the  river  had  contracted  so  much  with  the  cold  that 
we  made  a  beginning  in  our  claim  at  the  lower  end  of  the  bar, 
l)ut  the  water  again  rising,  drove  us  out  at  thirty  buckets. 

In  the  afternoon  we  walked  down  to  the  store  to  see  a 
wonderful  instrument  that  had  just  been  brought  into  the 
valley.  On  entering  the  store,  we  found  a  large  crowd  assem- 
bled, and  in  the  midst  a  heavy-looking  Dutchman,  who  held 
in  his  hands  a  strip  of  whalebone  apparently  taken  from  an 
umbrella,  and  split  in  two  about  half  its  length. 

The  Dutchman  was  talking  very  earnestly,  and  the  crowd, 
as  if  afraid  of  his  potent  wand,  kept  at  a  respectful  distance 
while  he  expounded  to  them  the  extraordinary  properties 
lodged  in  this  innocent-looking  bit  of  umbrella,  and  the  way 
in  which  it  could  be  used  to  most  advantage.  Just  as  I 
forced  my  way  into  the  circle,  the  operator,  astrologer,  ma- 
gician, or  what  not,  grasped  the  two  ends  of  the  split  firmly 
in  his  hands,  giving  the  whole  nearly  the  form  of  the  letter 
Y,  when  a  pan  of  gold  being  placed  under  the  point,  it  was 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  209 

at  once  depressed  from  a  horizontal  to  a  vertical  position,  as 
if  drawn  by  some  mysterious  and  irresistible  attraction. 

Having  with  some  d-ifficulty  persuaded  the  owner  to  trust 
his  magic  in  my  profane  hands,  I  found  that  the  weight  of  the 
rod  caused  it  to  twist  with  considerable  violence;  but  if  this 
were  to  be  regarded  as  any  indication  of  the  presence  of  gold, 
the  whole  floor  of  the  tent  must  be  underlaid  with  that  pre- 
cious metal. 

Our  Dutchman,  however,  still  maintained  that  in  his  hands 
it  manifested  this  dipping  propensity  only  over  the  pan  of  gold, 
and  explained  its  perversity  when  in  my  keeping  by  the  same 
theory  as  that  advanced  by  the  believers  in  animal  magnetism, 
that  some  constitutions  are  more  susceptible  or  impressible 
than  others.  While  he  was  defending  his  opinion,  with  a  good 
deal  of  volubility  and  ill-temper,  a  buckskin  purse  was  brought 
in  half  full  of  black  sand,  and  laid  upon  the  ground  for  a 
second  experiment.  On  being  held  over  it  the  point  sunk  as 
rapidly  as  before,  whereupon  tlie  unbelievers  set  up  a  laugh, 
and  even  the  faithful  looked  somewhat  disconcerted;  but  the 
wary  conjuror,  nothing  daunted  on  learning  the  contents  of 
the  purse,  ingeniously  contended  that  this  was  a  stronger 
proof  of  his  position — that  there  must  be,  of  course,  a  few 
grains  of  gold  still  sticking  in  the  corners,  and  that  they  had 
affected  the  delicate  nerves  of  his  divining-rod. 

He  even  had  the  assurance  to  offer  his  services  in  discov- 
ering rich  deposits,  demanding  only  ten  per  cent,  for  his  own 
share;  but,  the  miners  being  generally  unable  to  appreciate 
the  value  of  his  invention,  he  joined  himself  to  a  party  pos- 
sessed of  superior  discernment,  who,  trusting  to  the  guidance 
of  the  witch-whalebone,  (I  never  knew  whether  its  having 
been  part  of  an  umbrella  had  anything  to  do  with  its  remark- 
able properties,)  dug  one  hole  after  another  on  the  banks  of 
Otter  Creek,  and  would  undoubtedly  have  at  length  discovered 
the  treasure,  had  not  the  same  envious,  and  malignant  sprites 


210  Golden    Dreams 

that  guard  the  spoils  of  Captain  Kidd  hurried  it  away,  jnst  as 
they  were  on  the  point  of  success. 

As  we  were  now  in  constant  expectation  of  receiving  an 
answer  to  the  letter  I  had  written  in  February,  in  regard  to 
the  submarine  armour,  we  walked  to  Georgetown  as  often  as 
we  could  muster  courage  to  ascend  the  hill;  and,  though  we 
were  often  disappointed  in  the  object  of  our  visit,  we  never 
failed  to  be  rewarded  for  our  labour.  After  living  so  long  in 
that  narrow  valley,  the  high  rolling  country  above  seemed  al- 
most like  a  new  creation.  Our  thoughts  expanded  with  the 
horizon,  and  we  breathed  purer  and  easier,  as  if  we  had  just 
escaped  from  prison,  or  the  dismal  depths  of  a  mine.  We 
stopped  repeatedly  to  satiate  our  eyes,  long  unused  to  such 
telescopic  vision,  on  the  circling  prospect,  and  to  inhale  the 
larger  air  that  came  sifting  through  those  giant  pines.  Every 
thing  about  us  was  on  a  grander  and  more  magnificent  scale, 
and  Ford's  Bar  seemed  a  baby-house,  a  world  in  miniature, 
where  the  sky,  the  trees,  the  winds,  were  all  alike  stunted  and 
Lilliputian. 

In  fact,  we  were  becoming  heartily  tired  of  Ford's  Bar,  and 
of  the  Middle  Fork,  and  not  without  reason;  for  neither  was 
exactly  the  place  that  one  would  choose  for  a  summer  resi- 
dence. By  the  first  of  July,  the  heat  had  become  almost 
intolerable  ;  pent  up  in  such  close  quarters,  it  was  reverber- 
ated from  mountain  to  mountain,  till  their  dark,  slaty  sides 
became  charged  like  immense  reservoirs,  from  which  it  was 
poured  down  upon  our  heads.  By  shortening  the  sun's  reign, 
however,  several  hours,  morning  and  evening,  the  hills  sensibly 
diminished  the  evil  ;  and  a  fresh  breeze  that  flowed  through 
the  valley  all  the  middle  of  the  day,  still  farther  reduced 
the  temperature.  But  when,  as  was  sometimes  the  case,  the 
surrounding  atmosphere  was  warmer  than  our  bodies,  the 
breeze  seemed  rather  like  the  breath  of  an  oven,  and  the  cool- 
est place  was  that  least  exposed  to  its  influence. 

The  mercury  often  stood  at  a  hundred,  and  rose  several 


AND   Leaden   Realities.  211 

times  to  one  hundred  aud  tea;  when  the  only  way  of  obtain- 
ing relief  was  to  sit  down,  up  to  our  chins  in  the  water  of  the 
Creek,  like  so  many  pond-lillies  just  raising  their  heads  above 
the  surface. 

To  make  any  exertion  in  such  weather,  was  not  to  be 
thought  of  for  a  moment.  We  had  read  all  the  books  in  the 
circulating  library — Dr.  Tabisch  had  returned  to  Mormon 
Island — Dr.  Browne  had  also  gone  thither  on  a  visit — the  river 
fell  slower  than  it  was  ever  known  to  do  before — and,  in  short, 
everything  conspired  to  make  the  state  of  ennui  to  which  we 
were  now  reduced  more  aud  more  intolerable. 

Under  these  circumstances,  it  Is  not  very  wonderful  that 
we  tired  of  our  way  of  life — of  sleeping  on  the  ground — of 
cooking  our  own  food — of  wearing  dirty  clothes — of  talking 
of  our  unvaried  theme  ;  or  that  we  should  long  for  some 
rational  amusement — for  white  sheets  and  table-cloths — for 
cream  in  our  coffee,  and  ice  on  our  butter — for  carpets  and 
easy-chairs — for  books  and  music,  and  the  sight  of  a  pretty 
face,  whether  of  child  or  woman — and  for  a  New  England 
Sabbath. 

It  was  not  till  the  middle  of  July  that  the  shrinking  of  the 
river  brought  a  temporary  interruption  to  this  indolent  exist- 
ence, by  enabling  us  at  length  to  take  undivided  possession  of 
our  claim.  The  earth  paid  from  fifteen  to  fifty  cents  to  the 
bucket ;  but  there  was  so  little  of  it,  that  we  were  compelled 
to  put  a  prudent  restraint  upon  our  energies,  and  work  only 
half  the  time,  lest  we  should  be  left  entirely  without  occu- 
pation. 

About  this  time,  the  miners  who  camped  on  Otter  Creek 
were  horribly  scared  by  the  nocturnal  visits  of  a  large  grizzly 
bear,  who  came  prowling  round  their  tents,  and  carried  off 
sundry  legs  of  bacon  that  were  hanging  on  trees  before  their 
doors.  As  our  tents  would  prove  a  slight  protection,  in 
case  he  should  desire  to  extend  his  acquaintance,  it  was  deter- 


212  Golden    Dreams 

mined,  if  possible,  to  rout  the  enemy  out  of  the  neighbour- 
hood. 

Accordingly,  one  fine  morning,  long  before  the  sun  had 
gilded  the  topmost  edge  of  our  western  boundary,  a  party  of 
ten  or  twelve  bold  hnnters  started  off  in  pursuit,  firmly  re- 
solved not  to  return  without  a  trophy;  and,  though  I  had 
never  been  hunting  in  my  life,  I  could  not  withstand  the 
temptation  to  accompany  them. 

I  slung  a  heavy  rifle  over  my  shoulder,  and  the  whole 
party,^  after  advancing  several  miles  up  the  Creek,  began 
slowly  to  ascend  the  mountain,  following  without  difficulty 
the  rude  trail  of  the  slouching  monster;  till  being  at  length, 
as  we  supposed,  somewhere  in  his  vicinity,  we  halted  to 
arrange  our  plan  of  operations.  The  place  where  we  stood 
was  directly  under  a  low,  steep  bank,  and  had  evidently  been 
occupied  as  a  lair  by  the  animal,  as  it  was  easy  to  see  the 
hollow  he  had  scooped  out  for  his  bed,  and  the  coarse  dark 
hair  sticking  in  little  tufts,  where  he  had  rubbed  himself 
against  the  rocks. 

"  Xow,  boys  !"  said  our  leader,  who  had  taken  that  office 
upon  himself,  by  virtue  of  his  greater  skill  and  experience, 
"  the  plaguey  varmint  is  somewhere  here  about,  I  reckon  ;  so 
we  may  as  well  be  all  ready  for  him  ;  for  when  he  does  come, 
he'll  likely  l)e  pooty  sudden  and  uproarious.  But  don't  go  to 
being  skcered,  but  jist  wait  till  you  ken  see  the  white  of  his 
eyes,  and  then  blaze  away." 

"  Never  mind,  cap'u,  about  our  being  afraid,  but  just  tell 
us  how  we're  agoing  to  find  him;  we  might  scuttle  about 
among  these  everlasting  bushes  for  a  month  without — " 

"  Oh,  don't  you  be  alarmed,"  interrupted  a  third,  "  we'll 
find  him  soon  enough,  I'll  warrant  ;"  and  the  words  were 
hardly  out  of  his  mouth,  before  they  were  followed  by  a  some- 
thing between  a  snort  and  a  roar,  that  seemed  to  come  from 
ovei'  our  heads,  and  almost  in  our  very  ears. 

Raising  our  eyes  all  at  once  to  the  bank  above,  we  saw 


AND    Leaden   Realitiks.  213 

the  bushes  j^arted  by  the  pointed  head,  leg-of-mutton-paws, 
and  monstrous  front  of  a  full-grown  grizzly,  apparently  in  the 
very  act  of  springing  upon  us.  His  coming  had,  indeed,  been 
sudden  and  uproarious  in  the  last  degree;  no  one  thought  of 
waiting  till  he  could  see  the  white  of  his  eyes,  but  away  we 
went,  over  rocks  and  bushes,  like  a  bevy  of  partridges,  in  every 
direction;  and,  so  successfully  did  we  execute  this  manoeuvre, 
that  no  two  of  us  were  left  together,  and  we  came  into  the 
camp,  one  after  the  other,  all  the  rest  of  the  day,  with  the 
unanimous  conviction,  that  if  we  had  frightened  the  bear  half 
so  much  as  he  had  frightened  us,  he  would  never  pay  us  a 
second  visit. 

This  incident  produced  a  good  deal  of  mirth  at  our  expense, 
and  was  the  occasion  of  several  entertaining  stories.  An  old 
backwoodsman  who  had  lived  many  years  in  Oregon  was  lis- 
tened to  with  the  greatest  attention. 

He  was  hunting  one  day  in  the  mountains  with  a  single 
companion,  when  coming  to  a  little  clump  of  rocks  and  bushes, 
they  each  took  a  different  path  intending  to  meet  at  the  other 
end.  On  reaching  the  spot,  however,  he  saw  nothing  of  his 
companion  ;  but  hearing  just  then  the  report  of  a  rifle,  he 
walked  round  the  other  side  to  see  what  was  going  on.  He 
had  not  gone  far  when  he  came  upon  a  large  grizzly  bear  sit- 
ting upright  on  the  snow  like  a  dog,  but  not  a  man  was  in 
sight.  Wondering  what  al!  this  could  mean  he  took  delibe- 
rate aim  and  fired,  when  the  brute  sprang  growling  towards 
him,  but  suddenly  stopped  and  then  walked  slowly  off  in 
another  direction. 

Anxious  to  learn  what  had  befallen  his  friend  the  hunter 
left  the  bear,  and  continued  his  search  ;  and  the  next  moment 
coming  to  the  place  where  the  bear  had  been  sitting,  he  found 
his  companion  pressed  down  into  the  snow,  and  almost  suffo- 
cated by  his  close  confinement.  It  seems  he  had  fired  at  the 
bear,  who  had  rushed  upon  him  before  h-e  could  reload,  and 
throwing  him  down  without  inflicting  any  serious  injury,  had 


214  Golden  Dreams 

then  expressed  his  contempt  in  the  most  emphatic  manner  by 
seating  himself  directly  upon  his  prostrate  foe. 

Another  anecdote  still  better  illustrated  the  almost  human 
cunning  of  this  dangerous  brute.  A  party  who  were  out  in 
pursuit  of  cattle  encountered  a  bear  of  unusual  size  ;  and 
being  doeirous  of  taking  him  alive,  attacked  him  with  their 
lassoes.  The  sagacious  animal  no  sooner  found  his  jii'ogress 
impeded  by  the  lasso  which  had  been  thrown  over  his  hind 
leg,  than  sitting  ui3right  on  his  haunches  he  seized  the  line  iu 
his  forepaws  and  proceeded  to  draw  towards  him  the  luckless 
horse  and  rider,  just  as  a  fisherman  would  pull  in  a  coder 
halibut. 

The  whole  thing  was  so  sudden  and  unexpected  that  no 
one  had  time  to  interfere, — iu  an  instant  he  laid  open  the 
horse's  belly  by  a  single  blow,  and  the  rider  only  avoided  the 
same  fate  by  falling  off  backwards  and  thus  making  his  escape. 
This  bear  was  afterwards  killed,  and  found  to  weigh  when 
dressed  upwards  of  a  thousand  pounds. 

On  the  2 2d  of  July,  having  walked  over  to  Georgetown, 
I  received  the  long-expected  letter  announcing  that  a  diving 
dress  had  been  shipped  from  Xew  York  according  to  my 
directions  ;  and  St.  John  coming  the  same  day  from  Big  Bar 
with  an  unfavourable  report  of  the  aspect  of  affairs  at  that 
place,  we  determined  to  sell  our  share  as  speedily  as  possible. 

In  the  evening  a  party  of  poor  fellows  just  arrived  in  the 
mines  were  sitting  round  their  camp-fire  before  the  store. 
Leaning  against  the  door-post,  I  looked  at  them  awhile  with 
half-shut  eyes,  and  presently  I  began  to  laugh.  In  fact,  I 
couldn't  help  it.  I  couldn't  hear  what  they  were  talking 
about,  but  I  knew  just  as  well  as  if  I  had.  I  even  knew  their 
very  thoughts.  Poor  simpletons !  what  a  bitter  experience 
was  before  them  !  what  a  sad  seesaw  of  fear  and  faith  !  hope 
slow  drowning,  like  a  ninc-and-a-half-days'  puppy,  opening  its 
eyes  just  in  time  to  die. 

Then  my  eyelids  drooped  still  farther,  and  my  inward  sight 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  215 

grew  stronger.  I  saw  the  waiting  ones  at  home — the  young 
wife — the  widowed  mother — the  lielpless  orphan — waiting — 
watching — weeping — oh  how  wearily  I^the  death-list,  and  the 
long  despair. 

When  I  opened  my  eyes  again,  the  party  in  which  I  had 
insensibly  become  so  interested,  were  just  stooping  to  enter 
their  tent ;  I  flung  off  the  chills  and  damps  that  were  creep- 
ing over  me,  and  walked  swiftly  up  the  creek. 

A  few  days  after  I  walked  to  Coloma  to  receive  the  price 
of  our  armour.  Passing  through  Georgetown  without  stop- 
ping, I  arrived  at  Coloma  about  noon  ;  and  after  resting  a 
few  hours,  as  my  man  had  not  yet  arrived,  I  thought  I  could 
do  no  better  than  to  take  a  walk  down  the  river  to  the  bar 
that  Number  Four  and  I  had  prospected  a  year  before. 

I  found  the  selfsame  hole  that  we  had  dug  with  so  much 
fruitless  labour,  and  moralized  over  it  in  the  most  edifying 
and  affecting  manner.  It  was,  in  good  sooth,  fitted  to  excite 
"  a  most  humorous  sadness,"  and  I  could  have  wept  it  full  of 
tears  to  think  of  all  the -brilliant  hopes  that  had  faded  and 
gone  out  since  we  first  struck  our  spades  into  the  gravel.  A 
number  of  miners  were  at  work  hard  by,  and  from  them  I 
learned  that  the  place  paid  only  four  or  five  cents  to  the 
bucket,  and  had  hence  received  the  significant  title  of  Pov- 
erty Bar. 

"  Only  four  or  five  cents!"  I  repeated;  "surely  you  must 
be  mistaken.  A  friend  of  mine,  a  very  scientific  man,  assured 
me  that  the  formation  was  unusually  promising." 

"  Formation  be  d ^d,"  replied  the  other;  "I've  been  at 

work  here  these  three  weeks,  and  the  most  I've  made  any  day 
yet  is  four  dollars  and  a  half ;  but  perhaps,"  he  added,  with  a 
leer,  "I  don't  go  to  work  in  a  scientific  fashion." 

Turning  my  back  on  Poverty  Bar,  with  a  feeling  of  secret 
satisfaction  that  our  conclusions  had  been  so  fully  verified,  I 
took  a  short  cut  across  the  hills,  and  presently  came  to  a  bend 
in  the  river  where  a  large  party  of  Dutchmen  had  commenced 


216  Golden    Dreams 

the  most  extensive  damming  operations  I  luid  yet  witnessed. 
The  river  at  this  point  made  almost  a  complete  circle,  so  that 
by  digging  through  a  hill  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  width  they 
drained  a  mile  and  a  half  of  the  channel.  The  tunnel  was 
about  ten  feet  square,  dug  through  a  ledge  of  rotten  granite. 
The  work  went  on  day  and  night,  and  a  wooden  railroad  with 
small  hand-cars  was  employed  to  remove  the  rubbish.  When 
completed  the  tunnel  was  found  too  small  to  conduct  tKe  river, 
and  the  lateness  of  the  season  obliged  the  company  to  post- 
pone further  operations  till  the  next  summer. 

I  took  supper  at  a  boarding-house  kept  by  the  most  enter- 
prising merchant  in  all  that  section.  The  extent  of  his  busi- 
ness operations  may  be  inferred  from  a  single  fact.  At  a 
time  when  flour  was  worth  a  dollar  a  pound,  he  was  said  to 
have  from  one  to  two  hundred  thousand  pounds  in  store,  and 
other  staples  in  nearly  equal  proportions.  His  warehouse  at 
Coloma  was  a  long  low  building,  stuifed  with  goods  of  every 
description,  from  which  he  supplied  the  trading  posts  he  had 
established  at  Ford's  Bar,  and  other  places  ou  the  Middle 
Fork. 

The  company  assembled  at  table  was  of  a  very  mixed  char- 
acter, and  the  conversation,  which  had  by  some  strange  acci- 
dent strayed  from  mining  to  politics,  was  more  free  and  easy 
than  is  usual  on  such  occasions.  1  was  not  a  little  amused  by 
one  of  the  company,  a  Col.  Somebody,  from  Ohio,  who  as- 
serted, in  the  same  tone  as  if  he  were  stating  a  truism,  that 
Andrew  Jackson  was  the  greatest  man  that  ever  lived  except 
St.  Paul.  I  leave  it  to  more  theological  politicians,  or  more 
political  theologians  than  I,  to  settle  this  knotty  question. 

The  next  morning,  having  received  my  money,  I  set  out 
on  my  return,  but  after  walking  about  two  miles  remembered 
an  important  errand  I  had  neglected,  and  was  obliged  to  re- 
trace my  steps  to  Coloma.  This  was  but  a  foretaste  of  what 
was  to  follow.  A  new  road  had  recently  been  constructed  by 
the  merchants  of  Georgetown  and  Coloma,  winding  in  a  very 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  217 

l^icturesque  mtinner  along  the  face  of  the  mountain,  and  remind- 
ing me,  to  compare  great  things  with  small,  of  Napoleon's 
road  over  the  Simplon.  Having  reached  the  summit,  and 
turned  my  back  upon  the  vast  panorama  that  had  presented 
itself  in  so  many  different  aspects  as  the  road  dragged  its 
length  like  a  wounded  snake  in  irregular  curves  from  point  to 
point,  I  walked  on  more  rapidly,  without  paying  much  atten- 
tion to  my  path,  till  an  uneasy  instinctive  impression  that  I 
had  lost  my  way  brought  me  to  a  sudden  pause. 

The  old  and  new  roads  came  together  seven  miles  from 
Coloina;  hni  though,  as  I  supposed,  I  had  walked  much  fur- 
ther than  that  distance,  there  was  yet  nothing  about  me  that 
I  remembered  to  have  seen  before.  I  found  myself  in  a  nar- 
row winding  foot-path  that  ran  along  the  elevated  ridge  or 
backbone  of  the  mountain,  and  in  the  midst  of  a  dark  pine 
forest.  The  solitude  was  most  profound.  It  seemed  an  im- 
mense manufactory  of  silence,  enough  to  supply  the  whole 
world,  where  nothing  was  ever  heard  but  the  melancholy  cry 
of  the  mourning-dove,  the  only  safety-valve  of  a  stillness  pent 
up  till  it  was  like  to  burst.  This  bird  is  the  most  skilful  of  all 
ventriloquists;  for,  though  he  may  be  perched  directly  over 
your  head,  his  voice  seems  always  to  proceed  from  a  great  dis- 
tance, which  gives  it  a  startling  unearthly  sound  impossible  to 
be  described. 

After  walking  irresolutely  back  and  forth  a  few  minutes, 
I  determined  to  proceed,  trusting  soon  to  meet  some  one  who 
could  give  me  the  necessary  information.  The  narrow  foot- 
path presently  led  me  to  the  brow  of  the  hill,  when,  instantly 
recognising  the  wide  road  that  skirted  its  base  as  the  one  I 
had  travelled  the  preceding  day,  I  descended  with  a  bound, 
inwardly  congratulating  myself  on  the  sagacity  and  good  for- 
tune that  had  prevented  me  from  turning  back  as  I  had  at  first 
intended.  Meeting  a  wagon  soon  after,  I  asked  the  driver 
with  the  utmost  confidence  how  far  it  was  to  Georgetown,  to 
which  he  replied  with  a  grin  that,  if  I  meant  Greenwood  Val- 
10 


21b  GoLUKN      DilKAMb 

ley,  it  was  not  more  than  five  or  six  miles,  but  GeorgetONvn  was 
in  a  yery  dififerent  direction. 

On  explaining  my  situation,  he  very  good-naturedly  in- 
formed me  that  I  was  in  the  wrong  road  entirely  ;  and  that 
I  ought  to  have  taken  the  right  hand  turning  several  miles 
back,  at  somebody's  ranch.  I  thanked  him,  and  promised  to 
follow  his  directions  to  the  very  letter,  if  ever  I  travelled  that 
way  again,  but  what  I  wanted  to  know  then  was  the  nearest 
way  to  Georgetown.  Opening  his  mouth,  and  setting  his 
eyes  very  hard  on  vacancy,  while  he  pressed  his  forefinger  on 
his  nether  lip,  he  appeared  to  meditate  for  a  rnoment  ;  and 
then  replied,  pointing  with  his  wliip,  that  the  nearest  way 
was  over  that  hill  yonder,  but  if  he  was  me  he  should  go 
right  on  to  Greenwood  Talley  and  take  a  clean  start  from 
there. 

I  very  reluctantly  followed  his  advice,  and  having  obtained 
a  drink  of  water  from  a  lonely  shingle-maker  I  encountered 
in  the  forest,  I  hastened  on,  and  came  in  due  time  to  the 
prettiest  village  I  had  seen  in  California.  The  single  broad 
street  with  its  bright  white  houses,  of  canvass  indeed,  instead 
of  painted  clapboards,  reminded  me  strongly  of  Xew  England  ; 
but  I  had  just  then  little  relish  of  beauty  of  any  sort,  and  was 
passing  through  in  very  ill  humour,  when  I  was  saluted  with, 
"  Hullo,  stranger  I  is  that  you  ?"'  and  turning  round,  I  recog- 
nised, to  my  equal  pleasure  and  surprise,  one  of  the  company 
who  had  started  with  us  from  Mormon  Island  and  afterwards 
left  us,  as  already  narrated,  on  their  way  to  Rector's  Bar. 
The  judge  was  there  also,  keeping  a  bowling  alley  and  its 
usual  concomitants  ;  and  a  little  further  down  the  street  two 
more  of  the  company  partners  in  a  store  and  boarding  house. 
They  confirmed  the  accounts  we  had  already  heard  of  Rec- 
tor's ;  on  their  arrival  at  that  place  in  April,  they  found  the 
ground  white  with  snow,  provisions  enormously  dear,  and  no 
possibility  of  doing  any  thing  for  months.  They  finally  broke 
up  their  camp,  and  came  down  to  Greenwood,  where  they 


I 


AND    Lkaden    Realities.  219 

had  been  so  flir  successful  as  to  make  them  forget  their  former 
losses. 

A  tedious  walk  of  eight  miles  brought  me  to  Georgetowa, 
where  I  stopped  half  an  hour  to  rest,  very  foolishly  as  it  hap- 
pened; for  when  I  prepared  to  go,  I  could  hardly  rise  from 
my  seat,  and  did  not  succeed  in  gaining  an  erect  position  till 
I  i-eached  the  bottom  of  the  hill  at  Canon  Creek.  Sitting 
down  on  a  log  that  bridged  the  sluggish  current,  I  bathed  my 
feet  in  the  muddy  water,  and,  thus  refreshed,  made  my  way 
down  the  mountain  at  Ford's  Bar,  just  as  the  miners  were 
returning  from  their  day's  work. 

The  next  morning,  the  river  having  now  fallen  sufficiently, 
we  made  trial  of  the  spot  where  we  had  designed  building  a 
wing-dam,  but  found  that  the  great  depth  of  water  at  that 
place  rendered  such  an  undertaking  altogether  impracticable. 
We  spent  several  of  the  succeeding  days  in  running  up  and 
down  the  river,  in  pursuit  of  some  of  those  rich  pickings  we 
had  so  confidently  expected  ;  but  without  success.  Lest  the 
reader  should  think  this  was  entirely  our  own  fault,  I  would 
add,  that  we  did  not  find  them,  because  they  were  not  there. 
The  banks,  instead  of  improving  as  the  waters  receded,  be- 
came even  worse  and  worse — the  first  miners,  naturally,  com- 
menced at  low-water  mark,  and  they  had  done  their  work  so 
effectually,  that  nothing  was  left  for  their  successors. 

Before  leaving  Ford's  Bar,  we  determined,  however,  to 
make  one  more  trial  of  damming,  and  selected  for  that  pur- 
pose a  portion  of  the  river  just  above  the  mouth  of  Otter 
Creek.  For  two  whole  days  I  stood  up  to  my  middle  in 
water,  painfully  scooping  out  the  sand  and  gravel  with  a  long- 
handled  shovel  ;  and,  in  all  that  time,  owing  to  the  peculiar 
difficulties  of  the  situation,  only  succeeded  in  digging  a  hole 
four  feet  in  depth.  As  there  was  very  little  gold  in  any  of 
the  earth  I  had  thrown  out,  we  went  no  further;  but  another 
party,  undeterred  by  our  example,  at  once  took  possession, 
and  having,  after  several  weeks,  completed  their  dam,  found, 


ii'20  G  0  L  U  E  N     D  li  E  A  M  s 

to  their  own  chagrin  and  our  equal  complacency,  that  the 
place  was,  as  \ve  had  concluded,  entirely  worthless. 

We  now  made  up  our  minds  to  leave  the  Middle  Fork  as 
soon  as  possible,  and  sent  Tertium  on  in  advance  to  make  a 
rapid  and  comprehensive  survey  of  the  diggings  for  a  distance 
of  ten  or  fifteen  miles  above  Mormon  Island. 

While  he  was  gone,  we  still  continued  to  mine  here  and 
there  along  the  ])auks.  Returning,  one  day,  from  a  longer 
tramp  than  usual,  we  came  to  a  tent  occupied  by  a  party  we 
had  met  several  months  before,  on  their  first  arrival  in  the 
mines.  They  were  then  in  fine  spirits  ;  not  even  the  clumsy 
packs,  that  bent  them  almost  double,  could  crush  their  vigor- 
ous hope  ;  and  thougli  I  tried,  with  most  disinterested  bene- 
volence, to  moderate  their  extravagant  expectations,  it  was 
easy  to  see  that  they  gave  no  credit  to  my  assertions.  One 
of  their  number  now  lay  in  his  graveclothes  before  their  door; 
and  his  companions,  tliemselves  enfeebled  by  sickness,  were 
waiting  till  some  one  should  pass  who  would  assist  in  carrying 
the  body  to  the  grave. 

We  offered  our  services,  and,  each  taking  a  handle  of  the 
rude  bier  to  which  the  body  was  lashed,  we  walked  on  in 
silence,  our  companions  leading  the  way.  After  proceeding 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  down  the  river,  over  such  a  path  as  we 
have  already  described,  we  turned  to  the  left  and  began  to 
ascend  the  mountain  at  the  only  place  practicable  in  that 
neighbourhood.  It  was  extremely  steep  and  slippery ;  and  it 
was  only  by  clinging  to  the  bushes,  and  sliding  the  bier  along 
the  ground,  that  we  at  length  reached  the  elevated  shelf  or 
plateau  where  the  grave  had  been  dug.  A  few  handfuls  of 
fern  were  thrown  over  the  body,  wrapt  simply  in  a  blanket ; 
two  boards  laid  upon  it,  in  the  form  of  a  roof ;  the  earth 
thrown  in,  and  all  was  over.  Our  companions  thanked  us  for 
our  assistance,  and  we  returned  to  the  bar,  to  inform  the  doc- 
tor that  the  patient  he  had  seen  almost  well  the  day  before, 
was  dead  and  buried. 


AND    Lkaden    Realities.  221 

Sunday,  came  a  letter  from  Tertium,  advising  us  to  return 
to  Mormon  Island,  or  Xatomu,  as  it  was  now  called;  and  the 
next  Wednesday  we  packed  our  luggage  on  two  mules,  al- 
most extinguishing  them  beneath  the  cumbrous  load,  and 
began,  for  the  last  time,  painfully  to  ascend  the  winding  path 
by  which  alone  we  could  reach  the  lofty  table-land  above. 
We  were  obliged  to  halt  repeatedly  to  re-adjust  some  perverse 
rocker  or  impracticable  frying-pan;  and,  once  or  twice,  the 
whole  concern,  mule  and  all,  was  only  saved  from  rolling,  in 
an  avalanche  of  legs  and  tin  kettles,  down  the  mountain,  by 
our  catching  sudden  hold  of  the  bridle,  and,  with  the  other 
hand,  griping  fast  the  bushes.  Having  reached  the  top  in 
safety,  we  stopped  awhile  to  breathe  ;  then,  filing  softly  on 
through  the  glorious  pine  forest,  demolishing  a  whole  colony 
of  ant-lions  at  every  step — like  some  moon-headed  giant,  strid- 
ing from  one  planet  to  another,  and  unwittingly  dusting  away 
with  his  foot  Broadway  or  St.  Paul's — we  came  in  a  few  honrs 
to  Georgetown,  where  we  stopped  till  the  next  day. 

We  took  supper  at  an  eating-house  kept  by  an  honest  Mis- 
sourian,  who  had  come  across  the  Plains,  and  brought  with 
him  his  whole  family.  He  had  the  highest  opinion  of  Cali- 
fornia, and  well  he  might;  one  of  his  children,  an  mteresting 
little  girl  of  five,  having  already  received  quite  a  handsome 
dowry,  a  pint  cupful  of  gold,  presented  to  her  at  different 
times  by  the  hard-fisted  miners,  whom  her  infantile  grace  had 
so  pleasantly  reminded  of  their  own  distant  firesides. 

We  found  very  comfortable  and  genteel  lodgings  under  an 
immense  hay-rick,  containing  several  hundred  tons,  in  one 
corner  of  the  village;  and  the  next  morning,  having  found  a. 
wagon  going  down  to  Sacramento,  engaged  the  driver  for  ten 
dollars,  to  carry  our  luggage  as  far  as '  Natoma.  We  rode 
this  last  part  of  the  way,  and  had  thus  an  opportunity  of 
learning  each  other's  experience.  Our  driver  was  compara- 
tively a  novus  homo  ;  he  had  been  but  a  few  months  in  the 
country,  yet  had  already  made  several  thousand  dollars,  and 


222  Golden    Dreams 

evidently  placed  no  faith  in  our  assertions,  that  we  had,  thus 
far,,  met  with  nothing  but  disappointment.  He  could  not  un- 
derstand how  a  man  could  be  a  wliole  year  in  California  with- 
out acquiring  at  least  a  moderate  fortune.  He  had  a  store 
far  up  on  the  Middle  Fork,  where  he  was  dohig  a  fine  busi- 
ness; and  was  now  going  down  to  Sacramento  for  a  fresh 
supply  of  goods.  It  was  not  in  human  nature  to  feel  no 
touches  of  envy,  as  we  listened  to  his  confident  anticipations; 
yet  I  was  really  sorry  on  hearing,  several  months  after,  that 
he  had  lost  his  whole  property  by  the  failure  of  an  extensive 
damming  operation,  in  which  he  was  largely  interested.  This 
is  but  a  specimen  of  the  ups  and  downs  of  California  life. 


A  x  n    Leaden    1 1  f,  a  l  i  t  i  e  s  .  223 


CHAPTER  XVIII.       . 

FRIDAY,  August  10th,  we  arrived  at  Xatoma,  neither 
richer  nor  poorer  than  when  we  left  that  place  four 
montlis  before,  but  yet  congratulating  ourselves  that  it  was  no 
worse.  Hundreds,  who  had  like  us  illustrated  the  fable  of  the 
Dog  and  the  Shadow,  had  not  escaped  half  so  easily,  having 
lost  not  only  the  whole  summer,  but  all  their  previous  earn- 
ings. Xowhere  else  is  it  so  true  that  a  rolling  stone  gathers 
no  moss  ;  and  nowhere  else  has  the  said  stone  the  same  temp- 
tation to  roll  as  in  California. 

We  found  Tertiura  domiciliated  with  Xumber  Four  in  a 
tent  which  the  latter  had  erected  with  such  taste  and  ele- 
gance as  might  in  the  mines  fairly  be  termed  magnificent. 
The  interior  was  decorated  with  bright  blankets  of  different 
colours,  and  festoons  of  cedar  ; — the  floor  covered  with  a  car- 
pet of  snowy  canvass ;  and  the  cot  bedsteads  standing  on 
opposite  sides  seemed  to  promise  the  highest  possible  amount 
of  single  blessedness.  Some  Vandal  had  applied  a  torch  to 
our  former  camp,  and  nothing  now  remained  but  a  black 
unsightly  blot.  We  pitched  our  tent  hard  by,  and  having 
concocted  a  savoury  lobster  salad,  fell  to  thinking  most  vigor- 
ously what  we  should  do  next.  By  the  time  we  had  discussed 
the  salad,  we  had  come  to  the  conclusion  to  make  another 
attack  upon  the  bank  we  had  deserted  in  the  spring,  where 
we  hoped  to  find  work  enough  to  last  till  winter,  and  gold 
enough  to  take  us  home,  and  bay  a  suit  of  clothes  in  which  to 
present  ourselves  to  our  admiring  friends.     We  had  long  be- 


224  GoLDEX    Drkami 

fore  this  becu  compelled  to  abandon  our  original  purpose  of 
returning  home  like  princes  in  disguise,  clothed  in  rags  and 
tatters,  but  having  a  roval  ransom  hidden  beneath  every 
patch. 

The  spot  we  now  selected  for  our  encampment  was  in  the 
centre  of  the  short  ravine  alread\'  described,  and  a  little  be- 
yond the  part  we  proposed  to  work.  Close  by  the  side  of  the 
tent  the  bank  rose  abruptly  to  the  height  of  ten  or  twelve 
feet,  and  leaning  over  it,  on  its  very  verge,  stood  a  gigantic 
pine,  with  long  heavy  branches, — its  roots,  bare  and  knotted, 
seeming,  like  the  barky  claws  of  the  Arabian  roc,  to  gripe 
fast  hold  of  the  soil.  Between  the  ravine  and  the  river  rose 
a  small  rocky  island,  or  wliat  would  have  been  such  ages  be- 
*fore,  with  a  few  bushes  resembling  the  horse-chestnut  growing 
on  the  scanty  patches  of  earth  among  bald  masses  of  polished 
granite.  Directly  in  front  of  this  island  a  party  of  miners 
called  the  South  Fork  Damming  Com|xiny  were  making  pre- 
parations to  drain  the  river  ;  and  among  its  numbers  we  found 
the  same  ubiquitous  individual  so  often  mentioned  as  the 
Judge.  Between  this  point  and  Mormon  Island  several  other 
companies  were  occupied  in  the  same  manner,  and  large  piles 
of  lumber,  to  be  used  in  constructing  their  various  flumes,  were 
already  scattered  here  and  there  along  the  banks. 

Our  old  claim  still  remained  as  we  left  it,  no  one  having 
had  the  hardihood  to  assail  its  impregnable  front  now  baked 
into  yet  greater  hardness  by  a  five  months'  drought.  It  was 
easy  to  see  at  a  single  glance  that  there  was  work  enough 
there  for  a  hundi'ed  men  ;  as  to  the  gold,  that  remained  to  be 
decided.  We  were  iu  no  huiTy,  hon'^ever,  to  commence  the 
attack  ;  it  was  necessary  first  to  reconnoitre  the  bank  ;  dig- 
ging with  the  pick  was  very  laborious,  and  we  might  perhaps 
devise  some  easier  way  ;  the  heat  was  excessive,  and  in  the 
mean  time  we  had  enough  to  do  in  making  our  home  more 
comfortable.  "We  built  a  bower  before  the  door  to  serve  as 
a  dining-room,  and  drove  a  number  of  stout  stakes  into  the 


AND   Leaden    Realities.  225 

ground  to  support  the  smooth  stoae  slab  that  furnished  us 
with  a  table.  At  a  little  distance  we  built  a  rude  fireplace 
of  stones.  The  pine-cones  tliat  covered  the  ground  made  an 
excellent  fuel  ;  our  frying-pan  and  coffee-pot  set  up  their 
wonted  song  as  cheerfully  as  ever,  and  once  more  our  little 
Lares  and  Penates  came  frisking  and  capering  round  our 
hearthstone.  We  now  made  up  our  minds  to  remain  another 
winter. 

On  Mormon  Island,  standing  like  a  goose  on  one  leg  in 
the  edge  of  the  river,  was  a  tall  awkward  water-wheel,  turn- 
ing round  with  the  cui'rent,  and  dipping  up  with  its  long  arms 
a  quantity  of  water,  which  falling  into  a  wide  spout  was  thence 
conducted  into  a  shallow  trough  fifteen  feet  long  and  as  many 
inches  in  width.  A  miner  standing  by  the  side  of  the  trough 
threw  into  it,  from  time  to  time,  several  buckets  of  earth, 
which  being  carried  along  by  the  water  to  a  riddle  or  sieve  at 
the  lower  end,  fell  in  a  hundred  Httle  streams  into  a  shallow 
box  below.  Its  contents  were  thus  kept  in  a  constant  state 
of  agitation,  and  the  gold  working  its  way  beneath  the  sur- 
face was  saved,  while  the  greater  part  of  the  sand  and  gravel 
was  floated  off  by  the  water.  This  simple  apparatus  was 
called  by  the  imposingly  suggestive  title  of  Long  Tom.  The 
advantage  it  possessed  over  the  common  cradle  in  enabling  us 
to  wash  a  larger  quantity  of  earth  was  more  than  counterbal- 
anced by  the  difficulties  that  would  beset  the  use  of  so  cum- 
brous an  ally  as  the  wheel.  Yet  the  wheel  was  with  us  the 
principal  attraction, — the  splash  of  its  paddles  made  a  pleas- 
ing concert,  and  it  performed  its  task  so  easily  and  cheerfully 
that  it  was  a  comfort  to  look  at  it. 

My  urgency  having  at  length  prevailed  over  the  wiser 
counsels  of  St.  John,  Tertium  maintaining  a  strict  neutrality, 
we  were  yet  obliged  to  wait  several  weeks  for  the  big-bellied 
carpenter  to  construct  the  apparatus,  and  for  the  South  Fork 
company  to  turn  the  river  into  their  canal,  on  the  edge  of 
which  we  proposed  to  set  up  our  works. 
10* 


226  G  0  L  D  E  K   Dreams 

In  the  mean  time  we  were  led  to  embark  iu  an  enterprise 
more  weighty  than  any  of  our  previous  operations,  and  which, 
after  various  disappointments,  was  at  length,  and  in  the  most 
unexpected  manner,  crowned  with  success. 

A  quarter  of  a  mile  above  our  tent,  a  party  of  miners  were 
engaged  in  repairing  a  dam  that  had  been  built  the  preced- 
ing summer,  and  had  paid  its  original  proprietors  over  fifty 
thousand  dollars.  The  new-comers,  who  had  taken  the  name 
of  the  Washington  Damming  and  Mining  Company,  had 
already  made  considerable  headway  in  the  undertaking,  and 
expected  in  another  week  to  get  to  work  in  the  bed  of  the 
river.  One  of  the  members,  intending  to  leave  the  mines, 
offered  us  his  share  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  ;  after 
some  hesitation,  we  paid  the  money  ;  and  the  next  day  I 
listened,  with  becoming  gravity,  to  the  reading  of  the  consti- 
tution and  by-laws,  signed  my  name  to  that  important  docu- 
ment, and  went  to  work  with  the  rest. 

The  company  consisted,  chiefly,  of  English  sailors  and  ad- 
venturers from  Australia,  hard-workers  and  hard-drinkers,  but 
possessing  little  Yankee  adaptation.  Their  names  were  gene- 
rally Tom,  Dick,  and  Harry;  the  three  more  prominent  mem- 
bers who  alternated  through  the  different  offices  alone  rejoicing 
in  the  dignity  of  a  surname.  Yet  in  the  division  of  our  labour 
we  maintained  strict  republican  equality,  each,  in  turn,  wield- 
ing the  shovel  and  the  ])ick,  and  in  due  time  exchanging  them 
for  the  more  laborious  task  of  carrying  earth  and  stones  in 
buckets  along  the  narrow  pathway  of  the  dam. 

The  dam  itself  was  an  immense  structure,  and  its  massive 
solidity  had  enabled  it  partially  to  withstand  the  freshets  of 
the  preceding  winter.  Half  the  foundation  was  formed  by  a 
pine  three  feet  in  diameter  and  a  hundred  feet  in  length, 
which  had  been  drawn  into  the  river  by  oxen,  and  was  now 
held  firmly  in  its  place  by  the  jagged  rocks  against  which  it 
rested.  On  this  were  laid,  at  right  angles,  their  blackened 
butts  projecting  like  a  close  array  of  pikes,  a  large  number 


AND    Leaden   Realities.  227 

of  stout  saplings  ;  and  on  these,  again,  a  second  timber, 
much  smaller,  however,  than  the  first.  Lai'ge  stones  were 
then  thrown  in  on  the  upper  side  of  this  rude  breastwork  ; 
other  logs  successively  added — and,  when  the  whole  had  thus 
attained  a  sufficient  elevation,  it  was  made  tight  with  stones 
and  gravel,  and,  finally,  the  finest  earth  we  could  procure. 
When  I  joined  the  company,  about  half  the  dam  was  com- 
pleted, but  a  large  part  of  the  river  still  found  its  way  through 
the  farther  extremity.  The  dam  was  here  ten  feet  high,  and 
twelve  feet  wide  at  the  base  ;  and  all  this  mass  of  earth  and 
stones  had  to  be  carried  to  the  spot  in  buckets,  a  distance  of 
two  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  the  labour  being  but  slightly  re- 
lieved by  a  small  flatboat  that  was  employed  to  bring  earth 
from  the  opposite  bank. 

As  the  long  forenoon  dragged  slowly  on,  many  a  chiding 
look  was  cast  towards  two  towering  pines  that  stood  just  one 
hour  apart,  high  up  on  the  hillside.  When  the  sun  at  last 
had  reached  his  meridian  tower  above  the  southernmost  pine, 
the  buckets  and  picks  and  shovels  fell  from  our  willing  hands; 
the  rest  of  the  party  got  into  the  boat  and  paddled  slowly 
across  the  river,  while  I,  wearily  and  with  long  breaths,  picked 
my  way  over  the  rocks — crossed  one  or  two  deep  ravines — 
till,  reaching  the  Red  Bank,  I  descended  with  a  bound,  and, 
stretching  myself  on  my  blankets,  lay  in  cloddish  immutability 
till  called  to  dinner.  At  two  our  long  afternoon  commenced, 
and,  ahl  how  earnestly  we  desired  the  shadow,  bringing  with 
it  health  and  refreshing.  Slowly  but  gently  our  work  went 
on,  like  the  coral  island  rising  from  the  deep  Pacific.  As  we 
hemmed  in  the  headstrong  river,  the  pond  above  our  dam  con- 
tinually enlarged,  and  more  of  the  water  was  compelled  to 
find  its  way  through  the  canal. 

But  now  my  companions  were  mapatient  to  obtain  the 
reward  of  their  labour,  and  they  all  said,  "  Let's  go  to  work 
in  the  river  bed  and  earn  a  little  money." 

Wc  dug  holes  here  and  there  in  the  gravel,  but  the  water 


228  Golden    Dreams 

filled  them  like  so  many  wells,  and  we  were  compelled  to  work 
higher  on  the  bank.  Still  we  made  Httle  or  nothing,  and 
again  returned  to  the  dam. 

There  were  several  ugly  leaks  that  defied  all  our  efforts  ; 
boat-load  after  boat-load  of  earth  was  emptied  on  the  spot — 
Irashels  of  old  clothes,  enough  to  make  the  fortune  of  all  the 
rag  merc]iants  of  Little  Germany,  collected  in  the  neighijour- 
hood,  and  carefully  stowed  away  at  the  bottom  by  the  most 
amphibious  of  our  party,  who  used  to  emerge  from  his  bath, 
dripping  like  a  river-god  and  shivering  as  in  an  ague — all  was 
in  vain.  It  was  really  too  bad  ;  we  had  stopped  the  whole 
river,  but  we  could  not  stop  that  trifling  leak. 

And  just  now,  too,  our  boat  was  sunk.  Pushing  heed- 
lessly off  from  the  shore,  it  went  down,  full  of  earth,  in  ten  feet 
of  water;  and  when  we  reproached  the  crew  for  their  clumsi- 
ness, we  received  no  other  consolation  than  that  of  knowing 
they  had  lost  their  boots. 

The  next  day  was  cold  and  cloudy — a  few  wild  geese  flying 
south,  di'ipped  upon  us  some  drops  of  rain. 

"  Well,  boys,"  cried  our  democratic  president,  "  and  what 
shall  we  do  now  ?" 

"The  rainy  season  is  coming  !  we  must  go  to  work,  and 
make  what  we  can,  each  one  for  himself  1"  cried  half  the 
members. 

We  made,  during  the  forenoon,  fifty  dollars.  "This  will 
never  do,"  said  the  president  ;  "  we  must  have  another  meet- 
ing." We  sat  round  on  stones — the  surnames  argued  with  a 
deal  of  he'at  and  acrimony,  to  which  Tom,  Dick,  and  Harry, 
opposed  an  impregnable  front  of  sullen  disdain. 

The  president,  by  far  the  ablest  man  in  the  company, — 
though,  like  all  the  rest,  hasty  and  passionate, — resigned  his 
office  in  disgust ;  and  all  my  persuasive  flattery  could  not  in- 
duce him  to  resume  it.  They  would  go  to  work  in  the  river, 
in  spite  of  my  remonstrances;  so  I  left  them,  and  returned  to 
assist  in  working  the  Long  Tom. 


AND   Leaden   Realities.  229 

The  wheel,  some  eight  feet  in  diameter,  was  attached  to 
t!ie  end  of  a  long,  heavy  shaft,  projecting  two  or  three  feet 
over  the  current,  and  supported  at  a  single  point  by  an  iron 
bolt  passing  through  a  stout  post  set  firmly  among  the  rocks 
at  the  edge  of  the  canal  into  which  the  river  had  been  diverted. 
By  means  of  this  shaft,  we  could  raise  or  depress  the  wheel 
at  pleasure.  The  earth  we  proposed  first  to  wash  was  a 
gentle  slope,  rising  from  the  river  towards  our  bank,  and  con- 
sisting of  a  fine  sand  almost  free  from  stones,  and  paying  from 
three  to  ten,  or  even  twenty  cents  to  the  bucket. 

Thursday  morning,  September  12,  we  commenced  opera- 
tions. Round  goes  the  restless  wheel,  scooping  up  the  dizzy 
water.  The  canvass  hose  rises  and  falls  with  its  fi-equent  pulse, 
like  the  great  artery  of  a  whale.  The  thirsty  sand  drinks 
eagerly  the  cooling  stream  that  dissolves  and  sweeps  it  away, 
leaving  bright  grains  of  gold  sticking  here  and  there  on  the 
bottom  of  the  trough.  So,  if  nothing  happens,  we  shall  get 
rich,  after  all. 

"But  seems  to  me,  the  river  is  rising,"  cries  St.  John. 

"So  it  is,  I  declare  ;  what  in  the  world  is  to  pay  now,  I 
wonder  ;  there  comes  Cameron  ;  perhaps  he  can  tell  us." 

"  Well,  Mr.  Raven,"  cried  Cameron,  as  w^ell  as  he  could  for 
want  of  breath,  "the  dam's  gone." 

"Dam gone!  how?  where?  when?" 

"Just  now,  down  the  river,  swept  away.  The  Missouri 
Dam  has  burst,  and  the  flood  has  swept  the  top  of  ours  clean 
off ;  I  just  saved  the  tools  and  that's  all." 

"  That's  what  made  the  river  rise  ?" 

"  Yes,  it  has  so." 

There  was  our  two  thousand  vanished  into  thin  air  ;  we 
all  looked  rather  foolish,  and  then  and  there  decided  that 
damming  was  a  very  unprofitable  business,  and  we  would  have 
nothing  more  to  do  with  it. 

It  was  now  twelve  o'clock  ;  so  raising  the  wheel  out  of  the 
water,  we  walked  up  to  our  tent ;  where  we  spent  an  hour  or 


230  Golden    Drkams  i 

two  very  pleasantly  in  forming  a  comparison  between  onr  own 
situation  and  tliat  of  the  great  mass  of  our  fellow  adventurers. 
It  was  of  course  highly  gratifying  to  find  tliat  we  belonged  to 
that  numerous  and  respectable  class  whose  praises  have  been 
sung  in  all  ages  from  Solomon  to  Dr.  Franklin  ;  and  if  half 
of  our  acquaintance  had  more,  the  other  half  had  even  less 
than  had  fallen  to  our  share. 

Full  of  this  consolatory  reflection,  and  strong  in  faith,  we 
resumed  our  labours  in  the  afternoon  ;  but  had  hardly  washed 
a  dozen  buckets  when  suddenly  the  water  in  the  canal  fell  two 
feet  or  more — the  wheel  ceased  its  revolutions — St.  John 
dropped  the  uplifted  shovel — Tertium  rested  on  the  handles 
of  the  wheelbarrow — and  we  all  stared  with  open  mouth  at 
this  new  wonder.  The  flume  just  above  had  burst,  letting 
half  the  river  back  into  its  original  channel,  and  we  could  do 
nothing  until  the  breach  was  stopped.  I  laid  ray  hand  on  the 
shaft,  intending  to  raise  the  wheel,  when  the  whole  fabric 
slowly  toppled  over  into  the  water.  We  at  once  threw  off 
our  nether  garments,  and  wading  out  into  the  rapid  current, 
which  rose  nearly  to  our  shoulders,  succeeded  by  a  violent 
effort  in  restoring  the  post  to  its  upright  position.  The  cause 
of  this  accident  was  the  water  undermining  a  large  stone  that 
supported  the  post. 

We  worked  like  beavers  all  Friday  morning  in  repairing 
damages,  and  in  the  afternoon  succeeded  in  washing  two  hun- 
dred buckets,  when  the  spout  that  received  the  water  from 
the  dippers,  getting  entangled  in  the  wheel,  was  instantly  torn 
from  its  position,  and  tossed  scornfully  into  the  stream.  The 
wheel  itself  suffered  severely  in  this  encounter,  and  on  setting 
it  in  motion  the  next  morning  its  dizzy  efforts  to  perform  its 
stated  task  were  pitiable  to  behold,  and  we  found  it  necessary 
to  strengthen  it  by  passing  a  strip  of  hoop  iron  round  its  whole 
circumference. 

Sunday,  the  15th,  there  was  a  slight  shower,  accompanied 
by  heavy  thuhder,  the  first  we  had  ever  heard  in  California. 


AND   Leaden   Realities.  231 

Monday,  our  wheel  worked  to  our  entire  satisfaction,  but  not 
so  with  the  Tom.  A  hundred  wheelbarrows,  equal  to  six 
h'.mdred  buckets,  yielded  only  sixteen  dollars  instead  of  thirty  ; 
Tcrtinm  and  St.  John  were  out  of  all  patience,  and  it  was  as 
much  as  I  could  do  to  persuade  them  to  another  trial.  "We 
I'aisod  the  trough  so  as  to  increase  the  fall  of  water  into  the 
box  several  inches,  and  now  our  receipts  were  nearly  doubled. 

For  several  days  we  went  on  swimmingly,  and  I  began  to 
oxult  over  my  companions  ;  when  on  the  2.2d  we  were  alarmed 
by  a  few  drops  of  rain,  followed  the  same  night  by  a  violent 
tempest.  The  wind,  and  the  rain  that  soaked  our  blankets 
through  and  through,  kept  us  awake  till  long  after  midnight ; 
the  next  morning,  however,  was  unusually  pleasant — the  river 
sliowed  no  signs  of  the  rain,  and  after  a  hard  day's  work,  we 
retired  to  rest  with  minds  unprophetic  of  danger. 

I  was  aw^aked  about  midnight  by  a  whistle  coming  along  the 
ravine.  It  stopped  just  at  our  door,  and  informed  us  in  few 
words  that  the  river  had  risen  and  swept  every  thing  away. 
Hurrying  down  to  the  shore,  the  scene  of  ruin  and  uproar  that 
presented  itself  was  so  appalling,  that  we  rubbed  our  eyes  to 
make  sure  that  we  were  awake.  The  moon  then  riding  high 
shone  upon  a  proud  and  angry  flood  ten  times  as  large  as  the 
placid  stream  we  had  parted  from  a  few  hours  before,  and 
bearing  helplessly  along  the  mingled  wreck  of  the  dams  and 
flumes  that  had  presumed  to  arrest  its  course.  Our  wheel, 
still  standing  on  its  one  leg  far  out  in  the  stream,  dipped  its 
paddles  into  the  taller  waves  as  they  shot  beneath— the  other 
articles  had  floated  away,  and  we  found  them  lying  quietly  at 
anchor  in  an  eddy  not  far  below. 

Thus  disastrous  was  the  termination  of  this  experiment. 
"  I  told  you  so,"  cried  Tertium — "  Just  what  I  expected,"  said 
St.  John  ;  winle  I  had  not  a  w^ord  to  offer  in  defence. 


23"2  Golden    D  k  e  a  m  s 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

ITfE  had  now  been  in  the  mines  a  year,  and  our  affairs,  as 
' '    will  be  seen  from  the  following  calculation,  were  in  a 
very  flourishing  condition  : 

CALIFOENIA,  Dr. 

Submarine  armoiir,        --____  $420.00 

One  share  in  Washinston  Dam,    -----        150.00 

Travelliiiar  expenses,  freight,  &c.,         -  -  _  .  350.00 

EocUers,  shovels,  pans,  &c.,  -  _  _  _  -        200.00 

Lone  Tom  and  wheel,  -  -  .  .  _  125.00 

Clothing,      ---..---        150.00 

Provisions,  -------  1400.00 

Tent,  and  incidental  e.xpenses,        -----       150.00 

Total,       -------         $2945.00 

Cr. 
Cash  on  hand,  -------        $75.00 

Small  tent  and  furniture,  -----  50.00 

Tools,  provisions,  &c.,        ------         50.00 

Sixty  feet  front  in  Eed  Bank,  -----  200.00 

Experience,  -  -  -  -  -  -  -      1500.00 

Total  in  fixvour  of  California,      -  -  -  -  $1875.00 

Naturally  supposing  that  the  rains  would  render  the  roads 
almost  impassable  this  winter,  as  they  had  done  the  last,  and 
thereby  cause  a  great  advance  in  the  price  of  provisions,  we 
detcrmhied  to  lay  in  a  stock  sufficient  to  last  until  spring.  "We 
accordingly  bought  five  hundred  pounds  of  flour,  one  hundred 
of  sugar,  thirty  of  pork,  besides  rice,  butter,  coffee,  dried  ap- 
ples, &c.,  &c.,  We  also  found  it  necessary  to  purchase  can- 
vass sufficient  for  a  new  tent,  the  small  one  we  had  brought 
back  from  our  hunt  in  the  mountains  being  too  small  to  afford 
comfortable  winter  quarters. 


AND     L  H  A  D  K  X     R  E  A  L  1 1 1  E  S  .  233 

Oin*  new  house,  as  it  should  properly  be  called,  was  of 
nearly  the  same  dimensions  as  that  we  had  occupied  the  pre- 
ceding winter  ;  but  instead  of  being  set  up  in  the  usual  man- 
ner, the  canvass  walls  and  roof  were  stretched  over  a  slender 
frame  of  posts  and  boards  four  inches  wide.  We  were  occu- 
pied nearly  a  week  in  building  the  house  and  bedsteads,  and 
arranging  the  other  furniture  to  our  satisfaction.  We  knocked 
in  the  head  of  our  hogshead,  and  transporting  its  contents, 
one  by  one,  up  the  river  to  our  new  domicile,  disposed  them 
in  the  same  relative  position  they  had  formerly  occupied. 
When  we  commenced  moving  our  provisions,  we  were  sudden- 
ly put  to  flight  by  a  storm  of  yellow-jackets  that  had  invaded 
our  sugar  bags,  and  did  not  seem  inclined  to  give  them  up 
without  a  struggle.  In  the  contest  that  ensued  I  received 
several  severe  stings,  but  the  enemy  were  finally  routed  with 
a  loss  of  five  or  six  thousand  that  we  decoyed  into  an  ambush 
in  the  shape  of  a  large  pickle  jar.  They  had  carried  off,  be- 
fore we  interrupted  their  depredations,  several  pounds  of 
sugar  ;  but  this  loss  was  trifling  compared  with  the  annoyance 
they  inflicted  upon  us  at  dinner,  when  lured  by  the  smell  of 
fresh  meat,  as  vultures  are  by  carrion,  they  hung  around  us 
in  countless  throngs,  buzzed  in  our  soups  or  molasses,  and  lev- 
ied contributions  on  every  morsel  as  we  conveyed  it  to  our 
mouth.  There  vfere  other  insect  plagues  yet  more  familiar, 
but  the  subject  is  a  sore  one,  and  I  forbear. 

The  new  year  commenced  with  a  considerable  improvement 
in  our  style  of  living.  Since  our  first  arrival  in  the  mines  our 
table  expenses  had  not  varied  materially  from  a  dollar  a  day ; 
but  prices  had  so  far  diminished  that  we  were  now  enabled  to 
indulge  freely  in  certain  aristocratic  luxuries  that  we  had  then 
tasted  not  oftener  than  once  a  week.  We  had  butter  in 
plenty  at  only  10  cents  a  pound,  and  sv/eetand  Irish  potatoes 
at  only  twenty  dollars  a  bushel.  A  regular  meat  market  had 
been  established  in  the  village,  where  we  could  obtain  tolera- 
bly good  beef  at  only  twenty-five  cents  a  pound.     The  wild 


234  Golden   Dreams 

cattle  of  the  country  were  driven  in  in  large  numbers  by  men 
armed  with  lassoes,  and  shut  up  in  a  kraal  or  pound  formed 
by  planting  stout  posts  close  together. 

They  often  manifested  the  greatest  unwillingness  to  enter 
the  kraal,  and  the  most  amusing  scenes  were  then  presented. 
An  ox  would  start  suddenly  off,  pursued  ))y  half  a  dozen  horse- 
men at  full  gallop,  and  after  baffling  them  for  a  long  'time 
would  turn  fiercely  upon  his  enemies  ;  but  the  horses  were 
well  trained,  and  apparently  entered  into  the  contest  with  as 
much  spirit  as  their  riders,  so  that  accidents  seldom  happened. 
On  one  occasion,  a  horse  hard  pushed  by  the  infuriated  ani- 
mal, suddenly  gathered  himself  up,  and  as  his  antagonist  came 
within  reach,  dealt  him  such  a  kick  between  the  eyes  as  fairly 
stretched  him  on  the  ground. 

Not  far  from  the  kraal  there  dwelt  a  little  Dutch  shoe- 
maker of  those  fair  proportions  doubtless  intended  by  the 
illustrious  Knickerbocker,  when  he  compared  one  of  his  pro- 
genitors to  a  robustious  beer-barrel  mounted  on  skids.  This 
little  Dutchman  was  sitting  one  evening  in  the  door  of  his 
tent,  tranquilly  smoking  his  pipe,  and  watching  the  horseman 
ineffectually  striving  to  drive  an  unusually  vicious  animal  into 
the  pound,  when  the  fierce  beast  suddenly  made  a  dash  in  his 
direction.  There  was  no  safety  but  in  flight,  so  hastily  start- 
ing up,  he  rushed  into  his  tent,  hoping  thus  to  elude  the  at- 
tack ;  but  the  ox,  too  cunning  to  be  deceived  so  easily,  or 
unable  to  check  his  headlong  career,  dashed  in  after  him,  and 
the  next  moment  burst  madly  down  the  hill,  carrying  the  tent 
on  his  horns.  It  was  at  first  thought  that  the  unlucky  shoe- 
maker had  shared  the  same  fate  ;  but  when  the  bystanders 
came  up,  half  dead  with  laughter,  to  the  place  where  the  tent 
had  stood,  thoy  found  him  stuck  fast  in  the  chimney,  where  he 
had  finally  taken  refuge,  while  his  dumpy  legs,  the  only  part 
of  him  that  was  visible,  were  feebly  beating  the  ashes  below. 

On  being  extricated  from  his  awkward  position  he  ex- 
claimed, looking  distractedly  about  him,  "  Dis  ish  von  tarn 


AND   Leadkn   Realities.  235 

country  vish  I  never  did  see.  I  vasli  schmoked  myself  mit  a 
pipe,  and  tinking-  I  vislied  I  vash  at  home,  and  Hans,  I  say, 
yon  ish  von  great  fool ;  why  you  don't  go  home  ?  ven  all  to 
vunst,  I  see  te  pull  put  ish  head  in  his  tail,  and  come  like  von 
vat  you  call  him  ?  von  shteam  locofoco  ;  and  I  run  and  get 
into  mine  chimney,  and  ven  I  tries  to  get  up,  den,  mein  him- 
mel !  I  vash  not  able  to  get  town  ;  and  ven  I  tries  to  get 
town,  I  vasht  not  able  to  get  up  ;  and  ven  dey  pull  me  town, 
de  teufel  ish  in  mein  tent,  and  meinself  and  mein  chimney  ish 
out  of  te  doors." 

Being  now  snugly  settled  in  our  winter  quarters,  with  an 
abundant  supply  of  provisions  for  several  months,  we  began 
to  cast  about  in  our  thoughts  for  some  foolish  easy  way  of 
getting  at  the  treasures  locked  up  in  the  bank  above  us. 
The  most  natural  and  direct  way  would  have  been  to  put  the 
earth  in  buckets,  carry  it  down  to  the  river,  and  wash  it  there 
in  small  rockers  ns  we  had  done  before.  But  we  were  tired 
of  small  rockers.  We  never  could  see  a  full-grown  man  sit- 
ting on  a  wet  stone  as  if  hatching  his  one  solitary  egg  by  the 
side  of  one  of  those  ridiculous  machines,  his  body  l)ent  for- 
ward at  an  angle  of  twenty-five  degrees,  and  his  knees  as  high 
as  his  chin,  without  a  strong  indication  to  laugh.  The  Long 
Tom  demanded  no  such  fruitless  incubation,  and  was  in  other 
respects  especially  fitted  for  the  plan  we  now  adopted. 

Our  bank  ran  back  from  the  river  some  two  hundred  yards 
with  an  almost  level  surface,  then  rose  abruptly  in  irregular 
spurs  or  promontories.  The  gulleys  between  these  had  been 
the  preceding  winter  the  channels  of  small  streams,  that  would 
together  have  furnished  an  abundant  supply  of  water  for  a 
Long  Tom.  By  building  a  dam  at  the  foot  of  one  of  these 
gullies,  a  small  pond  would  be  formed  from  which  as  a  reser- 
voir we  could  bring  the  water  in  a  canal  to  the  middle  of  our 
claim,  and  thus  avoid  the  necessity  of  carrying  the  earth  to 
the  river.  If  this  expedient  should  be  successful,  five  or  six 
cents  to  the  bucket  would  enable  us  to  make  half  an  ounce  a 


236  Golden    Dreams 

day  ;  and  as  the  quantity  of  earth  was  ahuost  unlimited,  five 
hundred  to  a  thousand  dollars  apiece  seemed  no  very  extrava- 
gant estimate  for  our  winter's  work.  As  the  rainy  season, 
however,  would  not  probably  set  in  for  several  weeks,  we  de- 
ferred the  execution  of  our  design  till  the  last  moment. 

October  8th,  I  walked  with  St,  John  to  Sacramento,  in 
hopes  of  obtaining  letters,  as  we  had  not  heard  from  home  for 
several  months.  The  reader  will,  doubtless,  suppose  that  I 
must  have  been  very  miserable,  indeed,  when  he  remembers 
the  prancing  hopes  on  which  I  had  bounded  over  the  same 
road  only  one  short  year  before.  But  this  is  a  great  mis- 
take. True,  I  had  no  horse,  as  I  had  so  fondly  imagined; 
but,  then,  1  was  a  very  clumsy  rider,  nor  was  I  encumbered 
with  those  awkward  saddle-bags.  Besides,  the  day  Avas  most 
delightful  and  exhilarating.  The  air,  the  trees,  the  dull  earth 
seemed  drenched,  through  and  through  saturated  with  the 
transparent  light.  When  we  had  gone  about  three  miles,  we 
met  a  man  gnawing  a  biscuit.  "  How  far  is  it  to  "Willow 
Spring  V  said  St.  John.  The  man  held  out  his  biscuit,  that 
we  might  see  how  much  he  had  eaten.  "I  bought  this  at 
the  house,"  said  he,  "  so  you  can  sec  it  is  not  very  far."  In 
about  a  quarter  of  a  biscuit,  we  came  to  the  Spring  ;  the 
little  green  slope  was  still  there,  but  not  quite  so  green  as  it 
was  before,  and  I  showed  St.  John  just  where  we  had  slept, 
and  the  little  circle  of  ashes  where  we  had  boiled  our  coffee, 
and  the  half-burnt  stones.  Heigho  !  how  very  funny  it 
seemed. 

But  the  road  was  no  longer  so  lonely  ;  many  new  inns  or 
ranches  had  been  built  in  the  edge  of  the  forest,  with  such 
enticing  names  as  "Missouri  House,"  "  Xew  England  Hotel," 
&c.,  besides  two  or  three  half-way  houses — a  most  inhospita- 
ble sound,  as  if  nobody  ever  thought  of  stopping,  but  was 
perpetually  hurried  on  to  some  niy.sterious  somewhere  beyond. 

Presently  we  came  to  one,  the  air  of  which  at  once  at- 
tracted our  attention.    A  little  room  had  been  built  out  at  one 


AND     L  E  A  D  K  K     REALITIES.  237 

side,  Avitli  a  veranda  in  front.  A  rocking-chair  stood  in  the 
veranda,  and  through  the  ojaen  door  and  window  we  saw  a  bit 
of  carpet  and  the  snowy  sheets  of  a  four-poster.  "  Women 
and  children  !"  cried  St.  John. 

"  Women- — yes  ;  but  where  are  the  children  ?" 

"  There;  don't  you  see  ?" 

Under  a  noble  oak  that  shaded  one  side  of  the  house  was 
suspended  a  lofty  swing,  with  its  polished,  shining  bit  of  board. 

"  Children,  to  be  sure,  Grod  bless  'em  !  but  who'd  have 
thought  of  ever  seeing  a  swing  in  California  ?" 

We  met  several  little  troops  of  dusty  miners  going  up 
into  the  country  to  take  possession,  with  their  everlasting  fry- 
ing-pans, shovels,  and  tin  kettles.  On  such  occasions,  not  to 
lose  entirely  the  pleasurable  emotions  of  being  an  object  of 
envy,  we  would  assume  a  lofty  and  swelling  demeanour,  and 
stalked  by  them  with  a  conscious  air,  all  which,  I  noticed,  had 
a  great  effect. 

We  got  a  lift  on  a  Avagon  the  last  five  or  six  miles,  and 
arrived  at  Sacramento  about  four  o'clock.  On  entering 
this  famous  city,  I  could  hardly  credit  my  senses  at  sight  of 
the  changes  effected  in  a  single  year.  We  rode  for  a  mile 
through  Jay  street ;  and  every  where  there  was  the  same 
crush  of  carts  and  wagons,  the  same  endless  variety  of  goods, 
and  the  same  emulous  activity.  A  tall  Chinese,  mounted  on 
a  high  wagon,  gaped  upon  us  as  we  approached,  as  if  he 
thought  all  who  were  moving  in  an  opposite  direction  must 
needs  pass  down  his  throat.  He  was  the  first  Celestial  I  had 
seen,  and  his  portentous  ugliness  was  altogether  beyond  any 
thing  indigenous  to  the  western  hemisphere. 

We  took  supper  at  one  of  the  eating-houses,  that,  next  to 
the  gambling  saloons,  were  the  most  striking  feature  in  Sacra- 
mento, and  slept  on  the  counter  of  a  store  kept  by  one  of  our 
acquaintance  by  day,  and  an  innumerable  host  of  rats  by 
night.  These  animals  are  not — so  I  was  told — native  to  the 
country,  but  have,  in  a  few  years,  increased  so  rapidly,  that 


238  Golden    Dreams 

probably  no  place  in  the  world  except  the  slaughter-houses  of 
Paris  could  send  fortli  an  equal  army.  I  was  actually  afraid 
to  walk  after  dark  along  the  sidewalk,  where  there  were  piles 
of  flour  and  similar  articles — the  whole  space  being  apparently 
alive  with  rats,  and  the  pattering  of  their  feet  sounding  like 
a  gentle  shower.  The  great  freshet  at  Sacramento  drove 
them  back  into  the  country;  and  it  was  said  that  they  then, 
for  the  first  time,  made  their  appearance  in  the  mines. 

The  gambling-houses  at  Sacramento  were  on  the  same 
magnificent  scale  as  tiiose  already  described  at  San  Francisco, 
but  a  new  and  important  attraction  had  been  added.  Bands 
of  skilful  musicians  were  employed  to  play  at  intervals  during 
the  evening,  the  expense  being  defrayed  by  the  keepers  of  the 
bar  and  of  the  different  tables.  Gaming,  however,  seemed  to 
have  lost  much  of  its  reckless  character,  and  thousands  were 
now  seldom  lost  and  gained  by  the  turn  of  a  single  card. 

We  obtained  only  one  letter,  but  were  gratified  by  meet- 
ing some  old  acquaintances,  one  of  whom  gave  us  several 
papers  published  in  our  native  city,  which  we  read  through, 
word  by  word,  and  with  peculiar  relish.  The  second  day  we 
set  out  on  our  return  to  Natoma,  where  we  arrived,  long 
after  dark,  and  in'  a  very  exhausted  condition. 

All  the  month  of  October,  we  waited  diligently  for  rain, 
as  we  had  before  waited  for  spring,  and  then  for  summer. 
November  having  arrived,  and  the  rainy  season  being,  as  we 
supposed,  near  at  hand,  we  thought  it  time  to  commence 
operations  on  our  canal.  By  means  of  a  straight-edged  board 
and  a  plumb-line,  we  found  that  the  deepest  cut  would  have 
to  be  about  four  feet  ;  the  extreme  length  was  five  hundred 
feet  ;  and  nearly  tlie  whole  was  dug  through  the  stiffest  and 
most  impracticable  rubble.  The  dam  was  forty  feet  long,  ten 
feet  high  in  the  middle,  and  built  ])recisely  on  the  same  plan 
as  a  beaver's,  with  one  addition,  suggested  by  the  purpose  for 
which  the  dam  was  intended,  a  sluice  or  gateway  at  bottom, 
that  we  could  open  and  shut  at  pleasure. 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  230 

Our  task  was  lightened  by  the  deliglitfulness  of  the  seasou, 
and  by  the  pleasing  hope  that  we  had  at  last  hit  upon  a  plan 
that  would  render  us  superior  to  fortune.  When,  after  a 
day's  toil,  we  returned  to  our  tent,  in  which,  from  its  pro- 
tected situation,  we  could  hear  the  whid  without  feeling  its 
effects — when  the  caudle  was  lighted,  the  coffee-pot  simmered 
on  the  stove,  and  we  had  exchanged  our  heavy  boots  for  com- 
fortable slippers, — we  gratefully  acknowledged  that  even  this 
life  had  its  peculiar  charms.  An  interesting  book  would  some- 
times keep  us  up  till  nine,  but  seven  was  our  usual  hour — 
long  practice  and  attention  having  bestowed  an  extraordinary 
facility  in  sleeping.  Our  conversation  had  now  become  aston- 
ishingly sententious  and  idiomatic.  It  was  condensed  into  a 
kind  of  shorthand  or  phonography.  We  had  become  so 
familiar  with  each  other's  modes  of  thought — like  those  unfor- 
tunates confined  for  years  in  the  same  dungeon — that  a  single 
word  was  often  enough  to  fire  the  whole  train.  Certain  sen- 
tences were  now  so  oppressed  and  pregnant  with  meaning, 
that  they  seemed  fairly  to  stagger  under  the  weight.  In  five 
years,  I  am  persuaded  that  we  should  have  refined  away  all 
articulate  language,  and  nothing  more  would  have  been  re- 
quired for  the  most  abstract  conversation  than  the  vowels' 
sounds,  accompanied  by  almost  imperceptible  shrugs  and 
winks. 

I  had  once  the  pleasure  of  listening  to  a  very  interesting 
dialogue  between  two  savaus,  with  whom  I  was  but  slightly 
acquainted,  but  whose  proficiency  in  this  difficult  art  excited 
my  unqualified  admiration.     The  accent  is  here  all-important. 

"  You  save  ?"  says  the  first. 

"  Yes,  me  save;  do  you  save  ?" 

"  Oh,  yes!  /save." 

Now,  to  any  one — even  if  he  had  mastered  Spanish  with- 
out a  master — who  was  unacquainted  with  the  mode  of  speak- 
ing here  employed,  these  brief  sentences  would  seem  an  unin- 
telligible jargon;  and,  before  the  least  glimmer  of  light  could 


240  Golden    D  li  e  a  m  s 

reach  his  understanding,  it  would  l)e  necessary  to  dilute  or 
translate  them  into  at  least  as  many  pages  of  modern  Eng- 
lish. Yet,  not  only  those  who  took  part  in  the  dialogue,  but 
I  myself,  and  all  who  listened  to  it,  were  in  the  highest 
degree  edified  and  delighted  at  this  instance  of  unequalled 
condensation,  which  I  would  respectfully  commend  to  the 
consideration  of  all  windy  orators. 

It  was  not  till  the  19th  of  November  that  the  rainy  season 
apparently  commenced.  During  the  night  it  rained  moder- 
ately, and  the  wind  blew  with  tremendous  violence.  The 
great  pine  overhead  wrestled  fearfully  with  the  tempest,  with 
its  long-twisted  arms,  and  occasionally  sent  down  upon  the 
tight  drum-head  of  our  canvass  roof  a  shower  of  cones  as  big 
as  a  pineapple,  that  fell  on  our  startled  ears  with  the  burst 
of  a  bombshell.  We  found  it  impossible  to  sleep,  and,  hav- 
ing roused  the  drowsy  candle,  huddled  round  the  stove  and 
amused  ourselves  with  cracking  pinenuts,  of  which  we  had,  at 
different  times,  collected  a  plentiful  supply.  These  nuts  grow 
in  the  cones  just  mentioned,  closely  resemble  in  size  and 
shape  the  meat  of  the  almond,  and  are  of  a  peculiarly  rich  and 
oily  flavour. 

Early  the  next  morning,  before  we  had  finished  breakfast, 
the  heavy  tramp  of  armed  men,  and  a  number  of  voices,  called 
us  hastily  to  the  door.  A  large  party  were  already  assem- 
bled on  the  bank  above  us  ;  and,  through  the  tall  hemlock 
that  covered  the  hill  towards  the  village,  we  saw  all  along 
the  narrow  winding  path  the  glitter  of  polished  pick  and 
shovel.  Hardly  more  sudden  was  the  apparition  of  Clan 
Alpine's  warriors  on  the  side  of  Benledi. 

Instant,  througli  cop3e  and  heath,  arose 
Bonnets,  and  spears,  and  bended  bows  ; 
On  rjglit,  on  left,  above,  below. 
Sprung  up  at  once  the  lurking  foe. 
From  shingles  gray  these  lances  start ; 
The  bracken  bush  sends  forth  the  dart ; 


A  N  u    Leaden    Realities.  241 

The  rushes  and  the  willow  wand 
Are  bristling  into  axe  and  biand; 
And  every  tuft  of  broom  gives  life 
To  plaided  warrior  armed  foi  strife. 

Our  visitors,  however,  were  bound  on  a  more  peaceful 
errand.  Some  wag  had  started  a  wonderful  story  about  the 
rich  diggings  in  the  Red  Banli,  which  had  produced  just  such 
an  excitement  in  Natoma  as  the  California  fever  in  the  East- 
ern States — all  were  anxious  to  obtain  a  share,  and  in  a  short 
time  the  whole  bank,  three  or  four  hundred  feet  long,  was 
staked  off  among  the  different  claimants.  The  various  dis- 
putes that  arose  were  all  amicably  adjusted  by  arbitration,  in 
which  we  as  the  earliest  settlers  were  allowed  the  highest  au- 
thority. Our  decisions  were  marked  by  the  strictest  impar- 
tiality, and  even  indifference,  for  we  believed  the  whole  bank 
to  be  absolutely  worthless  ;  but  after  the  leads  were  fairly 
opened,  we  discovered,  to  our  infinite  surprise  and  mortifica- 
tion, that  several  of  them  were  far  more  valuable  than  our 
own.  For  months  we  had  been  lying  idle,  encamped  in  the 
very  midst  of  riches  ;  and  now  these  new  comers,  aliens  and 
foreigners  to  the  bank,  had  taken  them,  as  it  were,  out  of  our 
hands.  Our  folly,  however,  will  appear  more  excusable  when 
it  is  known  that  the  whole  place  had  already  been  prospected 
again  and  again,  and  even  worked  for  weeks  in  two  distinct 
locations  by  successive  parties  who  had  one  after  another  given 
up  in  despair.  We  had  ourselves  made  several  trials  in  front 
of  what  afterwards  proved  to  be  the  richest  claim,  and  find- 
ing nothing,  concluded,  according  to  what  was  then  considered 
the  universal  laws  in  such  cases,  that  the  bank  would  yield 
less  and  less  the  farther  it  receded  from  the  river.  An  en- 
tirely new  feature,  however,  was  now  introduced — instead  of 
growing  poorer,  the  bank  became  richer  as  the  miners  ad- 
vanced, till  they  came  in  some  instances  to  earth  paying 
nearly  a  dollar  to  the  bucket,  when  the  lead  gradually  failed. 
This  rich  streak  ran  diagonally  across  the  bank,  so  that, 
11 


242  Golden    D  ii  e  a  m  s 

while  at  the  upper  end  it  was  very  near  tlie  front,  it  was 
found  by  those  working  at  t!ie  lower  extremity  fifty  or  a  hun- 
dred feet  farther  back.  The  value  of  all  these  claims  was 
greatly  diminished  by  the  depth  to  which  they  ran,  a  super- 
stratum of  earth  varying  from  five  to  fifteen  feet  iu  thickness 
having  to  be  thrown  off  l^efore  they  came  to  that  containing 
the  gold. 

Our  quiet  camp  now  became  the  centre  of  a  bustling 
neighbourhood — a  road  was  laid  out  through  the  ravine  close 
by  our  door  for  the  purpose  of  carting  earth  to  the  river,  and 
huge  piles  of  earth  and  stones  rose  around  us  on  every  side. 
A  party  of  slaves  and  free  blacks,  at  work  for  an  extensive 
landed  proprietor  who  claimed  a  front  of  sixty  feet,  kept  up 
an  incessant  laughing  and  chattering  which  would  have  shamed 
a  monkey  or  a  yahoo. 

There  was  no  longer  any  pleasure  in  being  idle,  and  we 
determined  to  go  to  work  with  the  rest  without  waiting  any 
longer  for  rain.  We  made  almost  nothing  in  the  morniag, 
and  I  began  really  to  doubt  if  we  should  ever  succeed  in  earn- 
ing enough  to  get  home  with  ;  but  the  afternoon's  work  was 
much  more  encouraging.  Our  schemes  were  now  all  ex- 
hausted ;  we  had  nothing  more  to  rely  upon  but  patient,  ux- 
reraitting  toil,  and  we  determined  henceforth  to  lose  no  more 
time  in  idle  dreaming,  but  to  work  as  long  and  hard  as  we 
could  wherever  we  could  make  four  dollars  a  day.  We  con- 
tinued to  mine  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  our  tent  for  the 
next  two  months,  sometimes  in  our  bank,  and  at  others  in 
the  wide  sandy  slope  between  it  and  the  river  ;  and  at  the 
end  of  that  time,  besides  paying  all  our  debts,  we  found  our- 
selves worth  in  dust  nearly  one  hundred  dollars  apiece. 

Though  our  harvest  had  not  been  very  plentiful,  we  were 
unwilling  to  let  Thanksgiving  pass  unnoticed.  Number  Four 
took  dinner  with  us,  and  we  did  our  best,  as  usual  on  such  oc- 
casions, to  provoke  appetite  to  the  utmost  and  yet  give  it  an 
overwhelming  defeat.     Our  first  course  consisted  of  roast  beef 


AND   Leadkx    Realities.  243 

nicely  baked  under  a  cheese  box,  potatoes,  onions,  and  apple- 
sauce ad  libitum.  This  was  succeeded  by  a  regular  oldfash- 
ioned  Christmas  pudding,  the  crowning  glory  of  the  occasion, 
wanting  nothing  but  eggs  and  milk,  flanked  on  either  side  by 
a  molasses  pie,  and  a  dish  of  tarts  well  stuffed  with  delectable 
currant  jelly,  and  bravely  supported  by  a  dessert  of  raisins 
and  English  walnuts. 

The  pies  would  hardly  have  passed  muster  with  Aunt 
Chloe  ;  "  they  were  pies  sartin,  but  then  what  kind  o'  crust?" 
but  perhaps  that  renowned  "  perfectioner"  would  have  expe- 
rienced some  difficulty  in  making  her  "rale  flccky  paste"  if 
she  had  had  to  roll  it  out  with  a  bottle  on  the  under  side  of  a 
three-legged  stool. 

Christmas,  Number  Four  returned  the  compliment  and 
invited  us  to  take  supper  at  his  tent,  when  China  furnished 
her  choicest  teas  and  chouchou  or  preserves  of  infinite  variety. 
We  had  promised  ourselves  the  agreeable  addition  of  Dr. 
Browne  to  our  little  circle,  but  he  did  not  make  his  appear- 
ance till  the  next  afternoon.  A  dam  at  Ford's  Bar,  in  which 
he  had  invested  all  his  earnings,  had  proved  a  failure,  owing  to 
nearly  the  same  causes  that  had  disappointed  our  own  expect- 
ations ;  he  had  abandoned  mining  and  was  now  on  his  way  to 
the  Sandwich  Islands.  In  spite  of  his  reverses  he  was  still 
full  of  ardour  as  ever,  and  urged  us  strongly  not  to  leave  that 
part  of  the  world  at  present.  It  was  impossible  not  to  be 
somewhat  infected  by  his  enthusiasm,  and  we  found  in  our 
own  dreams  an  additional  reason  for  resting  in  the  same  con- 
clusion. "Whenever  we  dreamed  of  being  at  home,  which  we 
did  repeatedly,  our  regret  and  vexation  were  so  extreme  that 
the  remembrance  of  what  we  had  suffered  on  waking  was  suf- 
ficient to  quiet  our  homesick  impatience  for  weeks. 

The  last  of  January,  our  old  claim  no  longer  yielding  over 
four  dollars  a  day,  we  moved  a  quarter  of  a  mile  up  the  river 
to  a  bar  not  far  above  the  American  Dam.     The  next  day 


244  Golden    D  r  k  a  m  s 

Number  Four  came  up  to  bring  us  some  letters,  accompamed 
by  two  of  his  fine  city  or  village  acquaintance. 

Dr.  Ixipsorae  was  a  notable  instance  of  what  may  be  accom- 
plished by  care  and  industry  even  under  the  most  unfavour- 
able circumstances.  It  would  be  difficult  to  find  even  in  our 
most  fashionable  cities  a  more  nicely  dressed  gentleman.  His 
elegance  was  a  perpetual  wonder,  a  continued  miracle.  His 
ruffled  shirt-bosom  was  without  a  spot,  and  his  collar  seemed 
made  of  enamelled  tin,  so  boldly  did  it  rise  on  either  side  of 
his  carefully  trimmed  jet  whiskers.  Not  a  speck  could  be  de- 
tected on  his  immaculate  trowsers,  nor  on  those  boots  that 
looked  as  if  they  belonged  to  a  blacking  bottle  ;  indeed,  dust 
and  he  seemed  tohave  no  affinity,  but  to  be  rather  in  a  con- 
stant state  of  repulsion.  He  carefully  dusted  a  smooth  stone 
with  his  cambric  handkerchief  and  sat  down  while  we  read 
our  letters. 

They  contained  various  interesting  items,  all  suggestive  of 
the  length  of  our  absence  from  home.  S.  had  got  married — 
Tom  had  got  whiskers  and  was  become  a  great  ladies'  man — 
and  little  St.  Johnny  had  begun  to  talk  and  was  stoutly  de- 
manding when  his  California  uncles  would  get  home.  Ah  lo 
que  es  el  muudo  !  why  couldn't  they  have  waited  a  little 
longer  ? — by  the  time  we  do  get  home,  everything  will  be  over, 
and  nothing  left  to  happen.  This  is  the  worst  part  of  going 
away  from  home, — if  one  could  only  seal  up  what  he  left  be- 
hind him  with  a  certainty  of  finding  everything  undisturbed 
on  his  return,  or  if,  like  the  sun  in  Ajalon  or  a  clock  whose 
pcMidulum  has  ceased  its  vibrations,  home  would  stand  still 
waiting  his  touch  to  set  it  again  in  motion,  a  long  journey 
would  no  longer  be  such  an  ugly  gap  in  existence,  but  like  a 
break  in  an  electric  current,  throw  its  light  over  our  whole 
path. 


AND      ]j  K  A  11  i:  N      n  K  A  1.  1  T  I  K  S  .  245 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE  first  of  February  we  again  changed  the  scene  of  our 
labours,  and  commenced  working  on  American  Bar  within 
a  few  rods  of  our  dam.  This  bar  had  been  originally  ex- 
tremely rich,  but  having  been  already  dug  over  by  three  or 
four  successive  parties,  nothing  now  remained  but  the  bare 
granite  and  numerous  piles  of  paving-stones  with  a  little  sand 
sifted  among  them.  Nevertheless,  we  worked  here  for  three 
weeks,  and  in  that  time  took  out  about  three  hundred  dollars  ; 
almost  all  of  which  we  found  embedded  from  one  to  six  inches 
in  the  soft  granite.  Here  follow  a  few  extracts  from  my  most 
meagre  journal. 

Montlay,  Feb.  10.  Worked  all  the  last  week  without 
knowing  one  day  where  to  go  the  next  ;  yet  our  earnings,  one 
hundred  dollars,  exceeded  those  of  any  other  week  this  sea- 
son. The  last  three  days  have  been  unusually  delightful, — 
there  has  been  a  something  in  the  air  like  the  first  warm  sum- 
mer days  at  home,  when  the  earth  dries,  as  it  were,  all  at 
once,  and  the  boys  hurry  to  the  ball-ground. 

Wednesdmj,  12.  Came  home  in  the  middle  of  the  after- 
noon with  only  six  dollars — found  a  man  who  had  been  buried 
under  a  mass  of  earth  in  the  red  bank  laid  on  one  of  our  beds. 
After  he  had  sufficiently  recovered  he  informed  us  that  when 
he  found  himself  unable  to  move,  his  only  anxiety  was  to 
tell  his  wife  where  to  look  for  his  life  policy,  and  the  next 
moment  he  fell  asleep. 

Tlnirsday,  13,     In  a  fit  of  desperation  I  went  to  work  ou 


246  Golden   Dreams 

onr  bank — Ttrtium  prospected,  and  St.  John  went  to  try  his 
fortune  once  more  on  American  Bar.  lie  did  so  well  that  I 
joined  him  in  the  afternoon. 

Fridcnj.  All  worked  on  the  V)ar — made  fourteen  dollars 
and  a-half. 

Monday,  Feb.  17.  Dr.  Ecossais  sold  his  claim  in  the  red 
bank,  together  with  his  tools,  for  eight  hundred  and  fifty  dol- 
lars, to  a  Captain  Sampson,  who  has  just  come  in  from  the 
southern  mines. 

Tuesday.  Sold  our  claim  to  Dr.  Ecossais  for  fifty  dollars. 
I  worked  on  the  bar  alone — St.  John  and  Tertlum  prospected 
— in  vain. 

Wednesday.  Rain  sent  us  home  at  ninety  buckets.  We 
begin  to  hope  to  make  something  out  of  our  dam.  and  St. 
John  and  I  think  of  remaining  till  fall.  Thus  the  time  for 
our  return  continually  flies  from  us. 

Friday.  A  melancholy,  lugubrious,  opaque  morning — • 
rain  at  a  hundreil  and  twenty  buckets,  and  an  undecided  af- 
ternoon. 

This  it  so  happened,  though  we  had  no  such  expectation  at 
the  time,  was  our  last  bank  mining  in  California. 

We  had  sold  our  claim  as  above  mentioned,  not  because 
we  believed  it  to  be  entirely  exhausted,  but  chiefly  from  want 
of  patience  to  contend  longer  with  such  a  stubborn  foe.  What 
the  result  would  have  been  if  the  same  quantity  of  rain  had 
fallen  as  in  the  preceding  winter  I  can  only  conjecture,  but 
have  no  doubt  our  engineering  operation  would  have  been 
highly  profitable.  The  two  seasons,  however,  were  in  this 
respect  widely  different — the  first  year  it  rained  according  to 
our  observation  fully  one  third  of  the  time  from  the  1st  Xo- 
vember  to  the  end  of  March  ;  while  during  the  second  there 
was  hardly  as  much  rain  as  commonly  falls  in  a  New  England 
summer.  The  weather  was  also  cooler — hoar  frosts  were  fre- 
quent— and  several  mornings  we  found  the  ground  frozen  to 
the  depth  of  three  or  four  inches. 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  247 

This  scarcity  of  rain,  however,  though  it  interfered  so 
materially  with  the  plan  of  our  wiuter  operations,  was  full 
of  promise  for  the  approaching  summer.  The  rivers  would 
probably  be  unusually  low;  and  it  was  this  circumstance 
that  led  us,  in  spite  of  our  former  disappointment,  to  turn 
once  more  a  favourable  eye  upon  our  unlucky  dam.  As  early 
as  the  5th  of  January  I  had  put  up  a  notice  signifying  my  in- 
tention to  work  the  claim  the  next  summer,  which  Cameron, 
our  bonny  Scot,  no  sooner  discovered  than  he  scrawled  his 
own  name  beneath,  and  by  this  characteristic  stroke  of  policy 
made  at  once  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  The  other  mem- 
bers of  the  company  having  destroyed  their  constitution  and 
dispersed  in  difierent  directions,  we  anticipated  no  trouble 
from  that  quarter;  but  we  regarded  with  considerable  uneasi- 
ness the  movements  of  another  party  who,  seeing  the  claim 
abandoned,  had  also  put  up  a  notice,  and  of  an  earlier  date 
than  my  own.  As  they  were  already  in  possession,  however, 
of  another  claim  a  mile  Ijelow  the  island,  and  as  my  having 
been  a  member  of  the  Washington  Company  gave  us,  in  spite 
of  my  long  neglect,  no  slight  advantage,  we  determined  to 
maintain  our  ground,  and  tore  down  their  notices  without 
further  ceremony.  Still  more  to  strengthen  our  hands,  we 
now  proposed  to  form  an  alliance  with  two  of  the  principal 
miners  in  the  red  bank,  whose  numerous  retainers  would 
enable  us,  if  need  were,  to  repel  force  by  force.  The  first, 
whom  we  have  already  mentioned  by  the  name  of  Capt. 
Sampson,  was  a  New  York  Texan,  who  had  patched  the 
cautious  calculation  of  his  native  State  with  the  sudden  en- 
terprise of  the  frontier.  The  two  tempers  had  not  united — 
there  was  the  iron  and  the  carbon,  but  not  the  steel.  He 
made  money  and  he  lost  it  with  equal  facility. 

Dr.  Ecossais  was  the  other,  whom  we,  or  rather  Capt. 
Sampson,  proposed  as  a  partner  in  our  new  enterprise.  He 
had  also  made  money,  by  keeping  a  tavern  in  the  village; 
and  he  had  also  lost  all  he  had  made,  by  speculating  in  dams. 


•24S  Golden    UREAiis 

He  was  one  of  the  first  to  settle  on  the  red  Ijauk.  wliere 
he  was  now  in  a  fair  way  to  retrieve  his  losses. 

While  this  important  negotiation  was  still  in  progress,  I 
went  down  to  San  Francisco  to  attend  to  certain  matters  which 
required  our  attention.  I  left  Xatoma  on  foot,  hoping  soon 
to  fall  in  with  a  wagon  that  would  carry  me  to  Sacramento, 
])ut  none  overtook  me  till  I  had  walked  more  than  half  the 
distance.  We  arrived  at  Sacramento  about  noon,  and  at  two 
I  started  in  the  steamer  Confidence  for  San  Francisco.  An 
exciting  race  with  the  Senator  made  the  first  half-hour  pass 
pleasantly  enough,  but  when  we  at  length  yielded  the  palm, 
and  I  had  gone  through  the  boat  and  sufficiently  admired  the 
fine  engravings  in  the  saloon,  I  became  impatient  even  of 
twenty  miles  an  hour.  My  only  companion  was  Dr.  Ripsome, 
with  his  enamelled  dickey,  who,  having  tried  both  doctoring 
and  digging  in  vain,  was  now  going  to  practise  his  profession 
at  San  Francisco.  We  reached  that  city  about  nine,  and  my 
companion  led  me  blunderingly  to  a  hotel  at  the  head  of 
Sansome  street,  where,  for  the  first  time  since  leaving  home,  I 
crept  in  between  the  snow-white  sheets,  with  an  awkwardness 
that  seemed  to  say  that  I  had  no  right  in  such  dainty  lodgings. 
An  alarm  of  fire  during  the  night — the  ringing  of  the  bells 
and  the  hoarse  cries  of  the  boys — made  me  believe  myself 
for  a  moment  at  home,  but  a  glance  at  the  bare  rafters  of  my 
narrow  cell  soon  dispelled  that  illusion. 

San  Francisco  had  not  changed  so  much  as  Sacramento. 
The  most  striking  feature  was  the  old  hulks  lying  in  the  very 
heart  of  the  city,  with  streets  and  houses  all  about  them,  and 
suggesting  vague  and  puzzling  analogies  to  the  ark  on  Mount 
Ararat. 

I  saw  here  a  number  of  my  fellow-passengers  in  the 
Leucothea,  and  having  obtained  a  large  supply  of  books  and 
papers,  the  first  of  which  I  bought  at  the  stalls  that  were  to 
be  found  at  every  corner,  I  returned  in  the  Senator  to  Sacra- 
mento,  and  the  ue.xt  day  to  Xatoma.    I  had  very  unadvisedly 


ASD   Leaden   Realities.  249 

taken  my  blankets  with  me,  and  I  had  now,  in  addition  to 
this  burden,  two  tliick  coats,  the  eighth  vohime  of  the 
Spectator,  the  first  vohime  of  Macaulay's  Histoi'y — both 
large  octavos — and  five  small  volumes  of  Gil  Bias,  besides 
a  bundle  of  papers.  I  was  very  glad  on  reaching  Willow 
Spring  to  throw  my  pack  into  a  wagon,  and  thus  lightened  I 
made  the  rest  of  my  way  with  tolerable  facility. 

During  my  brief  absence  river  stock  had  rapidly  risen, 
and  the  prospect  for  the  summer  was  more  favourable  than 
ever.  Cameron  had  agreed  to  sell  his  half  of  the  Washington 
Dam  for  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  and  my  brothers  had 
then  disposed  of  it  to  Sampson  and  Ecossais  at  a  slight 
advance.  The  next  day,  however,  they  refused  to  complete 
the  purchase,  for  fear  of  trouble  from  some  members  of  the 
Washington  Company,  who  had  at  this  late  hour  set  up  a 
claim.  We  walked  two  or  three  miles  up  the  river  to  the  place 
where  these  unreasonables  were  at  work,  to  hold  a  palaver, 
and  if  possible  effect  a  compromise;  but  finding  them  fixed  in 
their  resolution  of  vrorking  on  the  dam  the  next  summer,  we 
told  them  they  shouldn't,  and  came  home  very  much  discour- 
aged. 

Tuesday,  March  11,  we  went  to  work  on  the  race  in  order 
to  get  the  start  of  our  numerous  competitors.  Cameron  at 
first  refused  to  join  us.  "  You'll  lose  your  share  then,"  said 
St.  John.  "  I'll  chance  it,"  he  cried,  but  finally  consented 
and  went.  We  worked  several  hours  clearing  out  the  canal, 
which  was  in  many  places  almost  obliterated  by  the  rubbish 
that  had  been  thrown  into  it.  In  the  afternoon  St.  John  had 
a  long  talk  with  Capt.  Sampson,  and  represented  our  supe- 
rior claims  so  strongly  that  he  agreed  to  make  the  proposed 
arrangement  if  Dr.  Ecossais  would  join  him. 

"  We  are  all  inclined  to  buy  out  Cameron  at  all  events, 

but   the   risk  is   almost  too   great.     Four  p.  m.,  Sampson 

changes  his  mind  once  more  and  concludes  to  buy— while  we 

arc  talking  about  it,  Cameron  comes  in  in  his  usual  hurry — 
11* 


250  G  O  I.  L  K  N     D  R  K  A  M  S 

after  a  little  hagg-ling  sells  for  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
■ — then  runs  a  miie  up  the  river  to  communicate  the  intelli- 
gence to  another  party  with  whom  he  had  about  completed  a 
l)argain.-'' 

Wednesday,  we  sold  one  of  our  remaining  shares  to  a  young 
Missourian  for  two  hundred  dollars,  and  the  next  day  went 
to  work  with  eight  men.     The  party  below  having  heard  of 
our  operations  now  sent  out  a  small  detachment  to  reconnoitre 
the  ground,  and  if  possible  reason  us  out  of  the  claim.     Pos- 
session in  California  is  more  than  nine  points  of  the  law,  and 
we  paid  little  heed  to  their  arguments.     They  had  one  effect, 
however,  which  at  the  time  was  rather  disheartening — the 
young   Missourian,  not  having  yet  paid  for  his  share,  was 
frightened  at  the  first  appearance  of  a  storm,  and  at  night 
quietly  removed  his  tools  without  saying  a  word  to  any  one, 
and  we  did  not  discover  his  defection  till  the  following  morn- 
ing.    A  few  days  after,  our  rivals  made  us  a  second  visit  in 
larger  numbers,  accompanied  by  a  famous  orator,  who  endeav- 
oured to  persuade  us  to  settle  the  matter  by  arbitration.    We 
held  a  meeting  in  the  evening,  and  having  chosen  Capt.  Samp- 
sou  president,  and  framed  a  constitution  and  by-laws,  deter- 
mined unanimously,  in  our  coi*porate  capacity,  to  make  no 
such  concession.     The  whole  red  bank  was  ready  to  take  up 
arms  in  our  defence,  which  strengthened  our  stomachs  might- 
ily, but  we  had  no  further  trouble  from  any  quarter.     We 
continued  our  labour  in  the  raceway  for  nearly  a  week,  when 
a  succession  of  violent  rains,  that  raised  the  river  higher  than 
it  had  been  during  the  whole  winter,  interrupted  our  work, 
and  we  were  not  able  to  resume  it  till  the  last  of  June. 

Tiie  25th  of  March  we  left  our  snug  quarters  under  the 
bank,  our  tent  interfering  with  the  operations  of  a  Xew  York 
lawyer  behind  us,  and  removed  to  a  point  farther  up  the  river 
and  directly  opposite  the  centre  of  our  claim.  The  place  we 
had  now  selected  was  the  most  delightful  and  picturesque  we 
occupied  in  California.     Our  tent  was  pitched  on  the  brow  of 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  251 

a  steep  hill  that  descended  at  two  bounds  to  the  river  a  hun- 
dred feet  below.  Ou  the  south  we  were  protected  by  a  small 
but  leafy  oak  springing  from  the  base  of  a  huge  isolated  rock, 
whose  perpendicular  sides  rose  higher  than  the  roof.  A  nu- 
merous and  contented  family  of  squirrels  had  dug  their  wind- 
ing burrow  under  its  friendly  walls — and  we  often  saw  the 
father  or  mother  scampering  over  the  grass,  and  the  young 
ones  playing  before  the  door.  Behind  and  around  us  spread 
the  open  parklike  forest,  and  iu  front  an  immense  extent  of 
elevated  table  land  stretching  away  over  to  the  North  Fork. 
Our  river  claim,  which  was  very  large,  comprised  three  dis- 
tinct hollows — the  upper  nearly  hidden  from  sight  by  a  pro- 
jecting buttress  of  the  hillside,  while  the  second  and  smallest 
lay  as  round  as  a  cup  and  deep  as  a  well  directly  at  our  feet. 
The  river  here  turuing  at  right  angles  plunged  into  this  little 
basin  over  a  fall  formed  by  a  bar  of  the  wildest  and  most 
cunningly  balanced  rocks,  producing  a  pleasing  murmur,  and 
imparting  an  air  of  coolness  to  the  landscape  that  was  inde- 
scribably refreshing  in  the  ton-id  heats  of  midsummer.  On 
the  opposite  side  of  the  river  was  American  Island,  about  a 
thousand  feet  in  length,  with  our  canal  winding  round  it  and 
occasionally  betraying  its  course  by  the  flashing  foam  on  its 
surface.  With  the  assistance  of  some  of  our  neighbours  we 
moved  our  tent  almost  bodily  to  this  new  location,  and  at  the 
end  of  the  second  day  everything  was  finally  arranged  to  our 
satisfaction  ;  though  a  peevish  rain  that  continued  the  whole 
week  rendered  this  undertaking  anything  but  agreeable. 

A  few  nights  after  our  removal  we  were  far  more  seriously 
annoyed.  A  violent  storm  of  wind  and  rain,  after  keeping  us 
awake  for  several  hours,  had  at  last  lulled  us  to  sleep  by  its 
ceaseless  beating,  when  we  were  all  at  once  roused  by  the 
lively  warning  of  a  rattlesnake  in  some  part  of  our  tent. 
Communicating  our  fears  to  each  other  by  one  of  those  ex- 
pressive grunts  supposed  to  be  characteristic  of  the  Xorth 
American  Indian,  but  which  our  experience  had  shown  to  be 


252  (.'OLDEN     D  K  E  A  M  S 

the  natural  language  of  all  who  have  lived  a  long  thiie  in  the 
same  limited  and  therefore  close  communion,  we  at  length 
succeeded  in  lighting  a  candle  without  venturing  on  to  the 
floor,  and  then  arming  ourselves  with  long  sticks,  we  took  up 
an  advantageous  position  on  bags  and  boxes  and  began  indus- 
triously to  stir  up  the  enemy.  A  small  pile  of  firewood  lay 
near  the  stove,  and  in  this  the  unwelcome  guest  had  taken  up 
Ills  abode  for  the  night,  and  was  now  apparently  busy  in 
warming  his  toes  and  fingers.  Suddenly  his  ugly  head  was 
thrust  waggishly  out  of  a  small  opening  as  if  to  inquire  tlie 
reason  of  his  being  disturbed  at  such  an  unseasonable  hour — 
the  next  moment,  being  provoked  by  an  ineffectual  blow,  he 
made  a  wide-awake  spring  that  tumbled  us  all  backward  upon 
our  beds.  Mutually  confirming  each  other's  resolution  we 
speedily  returned  to  the  attack,  and  having  disabled  our  an- 
tagonist by  a  lucky  thrust  we  despatched  him  by  repeated 
blows.  He  measured  nearly  five  feet  in  length — was  as  big 
as  a  man's  arm — and  had  eleven  rattles.  I  afterwards  while 
hunting  in  the  neighbourhood  encountered  and  shot  two  others, 
neither  of  them,  however,  so  large  as  the  first.  Snakes  of  a 
different  species,  and  apparently  harmless,  were  far  more 
numerous— the  big  rock  that  overhung  our  tent  was  their 
favourite  resort,  and  I  often  saw  them  gliding  among  the 
crevices  or  lying  motionless  in  watch  for  some  unlucky  lizard. 
The  1st  of  May,  Tcrtium  left  us  to  return  home.  We  had 
already  sold  two  of  our  shares  to  miners  on  the  red  bank, 
reserving  only  one  apiece  ;  and  as  his  could  be  worked  to 
almost  equal  advantage  by  hired  labour,  and  nothing  could 
be  done  at  present,  he  could  no  longer  resist  the  temptation 
to  anticipate  the  time  fixed  upon  for  our  return.  The  pros- 
pect was  at  this  time  far  from  encouraging.  The  rain,  which 
had  kept  off  all  winter,  had  now  come  in  earnest,  so  that  the 
time  of  commencing  our  operations  seemed  farther  off  than 
ever.  Furthermore,  our  claim  was  considered  by  nearly  all 
the  miners  in  the  neighbourhood  absolutely  worthless,  and  we 


AXD   Leaden    JReamties.  253 

were  made  the  laughing-stock  of  the  whole  river.  Yet  under 
all  these  adverse  circumstances  the  price  of  shares  had  steadily- 
advanced,  and  our  hopes  were  insensibly  borne  onward  by  the 
swelling  tide.  When  we  had  first  put  up  our  notice  signifying 
our  intention  to  rebuild  the  dam,  we  had  offered  the  whole 
concern  for  three  hundred  dollars.  A  month  afterwards,  w^e 
would  gladly  have  sold  for  fifty  dollars  a  share.  Even  so  late 
as  March,  Number  Four,  to  whom  we  proposed  a  partnership, 
was  unwilling  to  give  one  hundred  dollars,  but  now  a  share 
could  not  be  bought  for  less  than  four  hundred. 

In  the  mean  time  our  days  passed  pleasantly  in  reading 
the  books  I  had  brought  from  San  Francisco,  and  in  roaming 
at  will  through  those  fresh  and  untamed  solitudes.  Every 
morning  after  breakfast,  says  my  journal  of  May  24,  we  take 
our  guns,  both  double-barrelled — St.  John  hangs  a  dirty 
game  bag  round  his  neck — we  fasten  the  tent  with  an  in- 
genious catch  of  T.'s  invention,  and  away  into  the  woods.  If 
game  is  scarce,  there  is  a  fine  opportunity  for  revery  and 
castle  building,  or  from  the  top  of  one  of  the  many  hills  we 
enjoy  a  vast  and  dreamy  prospect.  Sometimes  we  get  sepa- 
rated from  each  other  and  imagine  all  kinds  of  accidents. 
After  our  return,  while  enjoying,  with  a  hunter's  relish,  the 
quail  and  pigeons  or  hares  and  squirrels  we  have  conquered, 
we  recount  all  the  incidents  of  our  morning's  sport,  the 
stratagems  we  have  employed,  and  the  mishaps  we  have  met 
with. 

There  is  perhaps  no  country  in  the  world  more  delightful 
for  such  rambles  than  that  part  of  California.  There  is  such 
a  pleasing  variety  of  hill  and  valley — the  trees  are  arranged 
with  such  perfection  of  art  that  one  is  continually  led  on  from 
one  point  to  another  without  knowing  when  to  stop  ;  while 
the  absence  of  all  natural  or  artificial  obstructions,  such  as 
fences  or  tangled  underbrush,  communicates  a  feeling  of  most 
entire  liberty  and  independence.  I  have  wandered  thus  for 
miles  without  encountering  any  human  thing,  except,  now  and 


254  Golden    D  ii  e  a  m  s 

then,  a  deserted  roofless  cabin  standing-  in  some  lonely  ravine, 
or  the  white  tents  seen  miles  away  among  the  woods. 

Often,  especially  in  misty  weather,  I  climbed  to  the  sum- 
mit of  a  lofty  hill  several  miles  from  our  camp,  and,  resting 
upon  a  projecting  crag,  seemed  for  a  wliile  to  lose  myself  in 
the  great  soul  of  the  universe.  "  Tlie  grandeur,  the  astonisli- 
iiig  melancholy  of  that  picture,  cannot  be  expressed  in  liuman 
language.  In  vain  in  our  cultivated  fields  the  imagination 
seeks  to  extend  itself — it  encounters  on  all  sides  the  habitations 
of  men  ;  but  in  those  wild  countries  the  soul  delights  to  plunge 
itself  into  an  ocean  of  forests  ;  to  alight  on  the  mysterious 
summits  of  the  distant  mountains  ;  and,  so  to  speak,  to  find 
itself  alone  with  God." 

The  game  that  we  found  in  greatest  abundance  was  the 
quail  that  were  now  leading  forth  exultiugly  their  timid 
young.  Their  flesh,  however,  was  dry  and  tasteless  compared 
with  that  of  the  pigeon,  which  was  as  juicy  as  the  nicest 
steak.  Besides  the  moaning  dove  already  mentioned,  and 
which  was  no  bigger  than  a  lark,  there  were  three  distinct 
varieties  of  pigeon,  the  largest  of  which  was  fully  equal  in 
size  to  the  crow.  The  squirrels  also  attained  an  unusual  size, 
one  that  we  shot  measuring  twenty-seven  inches  from  the  end 
of  his  nose  to  the  tip  of  his  tail,  and  their  flesh  furnished  us 
with  many  a  savoury  stew. 

Our  attention  was  one  day  attracted  by  a  great  commotion 
in  a  little  thicket  near  which  we  were  passing.  On  coming 
nearer  to  ascertain  the  cause,  we  discovered  an  owl  that  had 
tarried  too  long  at  the  night's  banquet,  and  was  now  sur- 
rounded by  a  crowd  of  noisy  chatterers,  like  the  unfeeling 
persecutors  that  hedge  the  way  of  the  luckless  toper  who  has 
continued  all  night  over  his  cups.  Anxious,  if  possible,  to 
secure  him  alive,  I  advanced  slowly  till  within  about  thirty 
yards,  and  fired,  lie  fluttered  feebly  a  few  feet  to  a  log  on 
which  he  was  compelled  to  alight,  when  I  ran  up  and  hastily 
extinguished  him  with  my  hat.     On  taking  him  out  I  found, 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  255 

to  my  amazemeut,  that  he  had  shrunk  from  the  size  of 
a  hen  to  be  no  bigger  than  a  pigeon,  the  downy  texture  of 
his  feathers  and  his  immense  wings  having  caused  the  ilkision. 
He  seemed  at  first  quite  unwell,  but  recovered  soon  after  my 
reaching  home,  and  having  tied  a  stout  cord  round  his  leg,  I 
phiced  him  on  the  ground  to  observe  him  more  carefully.  He 
was  very  gaily  drest  in  bright  yellow  and  ash,  and,  as  if  to 
display  his  attractions  to  the  utmost,  again  swelled  out  his 
feathers,  and  expanding  his  wings  stood  looking  us  straight  in 
the  face,  and  teetering  slowly  from  one  foot  to  the  other  in  a 
manner  evidently  intended  to  be  in  the  highest  degree  dignified 
and  imposing.  His  beauty,  however,  was  somewhat  marred 
by  large  yellow  eyes  that  resembled  those  of  the  cat,  and  had 
moreover  a  most  uncompi'omising  squint.  Two  small  tufts  of 
feathers  on  the  top  of  his  head,  shaped  like  the  ears  of  a 
cat,  completed  the  resemblance,  and  added  still  more  to  the 
grotesque  of  what  Dr.  Browne  would  have  called  his  tootin 
cymbal  ;  so  that  it  may  be  doubted  if  a  more  purely  comic 
character  ever  existed.  I  kept  him  a  week,  but  as  he  firmly 
refused  to  eat  during  all  that  time,  and  I  was  ignorant  of  the 
art  of  stuffing,  I  felt  constrained  to  give  him  his  liberty.  He 
floated  away  on  his  ash-coloured  wings,  as  large  as  those  of 
a  goose,  without  any  apparent  effort,  like  a  gossamer  or  soap- 
bubble,  and  we  saw  him  several  hours  after  again  surrounded 
by  his  officious  satellites. 

We  sometimes  in  our  rambles  encountered  less  agreeable 
objects.  St.  John  was  wandering  one  dull  drizzly  day,  with 
his  gun  on  his  shoulder,  on  the  further  side  of  a  distant 
mountain,  when  he  suddenly  became  aware  of  a  pair  of  eyes 
as  bright  as  burning  glasses  glaring  upon  him  from  behind  a 
tall  gray  bush.  He  at  first  thouglit  some  wild  animal  lay 
tliere  in  ambush,  but  looking  lower  he  detected  beneath  the 
eyes  a  pair  of  naked  copper  legs  that  could  belong  to  no 
animal  in  the  world  except  an  Indian  ;  and  at  the  same 
moment  he  felt  with  his  eyes  the  sharp  point  of  a  iJint-headed 


256  Golden    D  r  f.  a  m  s 

arrow  projecting  through  an  opening  Ij^tween  the  branches. 
Wisely  conchiding  that  to  run  would  be  useless,  he  banished 
all  appeai'unce  of  uneasiness,  and  advanced  boldly  towards  the 
treacherous  bush,  when  the  eyes,  and  copper  legs,  and  flint- 
headed  arrow,  and  three  other  Indians  he  had  not  observed, 
stept  out  and  confronted  him.  They  were  ill-looking  fellows 
as  one  would  wish  to  meet  alone  and  miles  from  any  habita- 
tion, and  all  carried  in  their  hands  villainous  bows  and  arrows, 
which  the  string  of  birds  and  squirrels  hanging  at  their  l^acks 
showed  that  they  knew  full  well  how  to  use.  Their  monstrous 
heads,  covered  with  a  thick  thatch  of  long  black  hair,  and 
mounted  on  dwarfish  bodies  and  distorted  limbs,  gave  them  a 
peculiarly  inhuman  and  impish  a.spect,  which  their  threatening 
demeanour  was  in  no  wise  calculated  to  diminish.  Crowding 
round  St.  John  they  assailed  him  with  an  unintelligible  gib- 
berish of  Indian  and  Spanish,  intermingled  with  a  few  words 
of  English,  that,  together  with  their  signs,  gave  him  to  under- 
stand that  he  must  surrender  his  gun  or  they  would  make 
a  prickly  porcupine  of  him  quicker  than  he  could  say  Jack 
Robinson.  Such  spinous  honors,  however,  were  anything  but 
agreeable,  and  making  a  sudden  spring  backward  he  presented 
his  rifle  at  the  foremost  and  biggest,  ordering  them  all  with  a 
stern  countenance  to  keep  a  proper  distance.  They  under- 
stood the  action  if  not  the  words,  and  instantly  huddling 
together  sought  to  screen  themselves  behind  each  other,  while 
St.John,  slowly  retiring  backward  and  still  keeping  his  eye 
and  his  rifle  upon  the  enemy,  reached  at  length  a  large  rock, 
behind  which  he  cunningly  withdrew,  and  then  taking  to  his 
heels  he  never  stopt  running  till  he  came  in  sight  of  a  tent  oa 
our  side  of  the  mountain.  I  am  inclined,  however,  to  the 
opinion  that  the  copper  rascals  only  wanted  to  make  game  of 
him,  not  in  the  way  above  hinted  at,  but  in  a  more  innocent 
fashion,  inasmuch  as  there  was  no  instance  of  any  outrage 
committed  by  them  in  those  parts,  where  the  numerous  settle- 
ments imposed  upon  them  a  salutary  dread. 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  257 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

rnUESDAY,  June  10.  Considerable  rain  fell  during  the 
-*-  morning.  The  thermometer  thus  far  has  averaged  ten  to 
twenty  degrees  lower  at  noon  than  during  the  same  time  last 
year.  We  are  at  times  anxious  about  our  summer's  work,  as 
the  river  has  fallen  very  little. 

Thursday,  12.  Took  a  long  tramp  in  pursuit  of  game,  got 
lost,  and  walked  about  twelve  miles.  Our  table  expenses  at 
present  are  about  fifty  cents  apiece  a  day. 

Wednesday ,  25.  Stopped  the  water  at  the  head  of  our 
race  on  Saturday,  and  Monday  began  again  the  work  which 
the  rain  interrupted  two  months  ago. 

Sunday  afternoon,  a  quail  led  her  young  brood  just  before 
our  door.  "We  had  been  long  desirous  to  secure  some  of  these 
birds,  in  hopes  of  taming  them;  but  though  we  had  spent  part 
of  every  day  for  weeks  in  rambling  over  the  country,  and  had 
seen  innumerable  flocks,  they  had  always  eluded  our  pursuit. 
Now  that  our  hunting  days  were  over,  and  we  had  given  up 
all  hopes  of  accomplishing  our  object,  it  was  a  very  agreeable 
surprise  to  see  our  prey  thus  throw  itself  into  our  hands.  We 
made  a  sudden  and  impetuous  sweep,  and  in  a  moment  caught 
eight  of  these  pretty  creatures,  no  bigger  than  an  English 
walnut,  and  covered  with  the  same  soft  down  that  renders  the 
chickens  of  our  barnyards  so  engaging.  We  carried  them  into 
the  tent,  and  having  secured  them  in  a  small  raisin  box,  I  set 
about  constructing  what  Reaumer  calls  an  artificial  mother, 
to  keep  them  warm  in  the  cold  nights.     This  was  nothing 


258  Golden    Drkams 

more  than  a  low  sliod  with  a  slopiiiir  roof  of  flannel — an  old 
shirt  supplied  tlie  material — and  here  I  doubted  not  my  j'oung 
family  would  soon  find  themselves  at  home.  But  hardly  had 
I  got  into  bed  when  a  faint  peep  from  the  raisin  box,  followed 
by  another  and  another  till  the  whole  brood  were  in  full  chorus, 
called  me  to  their  side.  Tiiere  was  no  resisting  that  plaintive 
importunity  ;  I  put  my  hand  into  the  box,  like  a  scoochuig 
lathcr-long-legs,  and  presently  the  tender  imrselings  crept  under 
this  warm  shelter.  I  felt  their  little  checkerberry  hearts  boating 
against  ray  fingers,  vi'hile  they  quietly  composed  themselves  to 
sleep.  My  heart  warmed  to  them  amazingly  on  their  giving 
mi!  this  proof  of  confidence,  and  I  began  to  think  seriously  of 
sitting  up  all  niglit,  rather  than  disturb  their  slumbers  ;  but 
fearful  lest  I  should  fall  into  a  drowse,  and  perhaps  squeeze 
them  harder  than  might  be  convenient,  I  put  them  all  safely 
buck  under  the  artificial  mother,  and  left  them  with  anxious 
concern. 

The  next  morning  they  all  lay  apparently  dead  in  the  bot- 
tom of  the  box,  but  by  warming  them  in  our  hands  with  our 
hot  breath,  we  recovered  all  but  one,  and  if  we  had  known 
how  to  feed  them,  we  should  undoubtedly  have  succeeded  in 
jircserving  their  lives.  "We  tried  everything  we  could  think  of, 
and  were  almost  in  despair,  when  Jimmy,  one  of  our  comjjany, 
who  had  l)een  gamekeeper  to  an  English  nobleman,  told  us  that 
tiiey  fed  them  on  "  hants'  heggs"  in  his  country.  "  Hants' ''  nests 
were  plenty  in  our  neighbourhood  ;  we  lost  no  time  in  digging 
one  open,  and  .soon  presented  our  young  starvelings  with  abun- 
dance of  "  heggs."  They  eat  a  few,  but  their  strength  was  too 
far  gone  to  be  restored,  and  the  second  morning  not  one  was 
left  alive. 

Our  canal  on  which  we  were  now  working  had  been  in 
great  part  excavated  through  a  ledge  of  the  hardest  granite — 
it  varied  from  twelve  to  twenty  feet  in  width,  and  from  five  to 
ten  in  depth. — Half  of  these  dimensions  would  have  been 
snfiicient  if   its  course  had  been  even  moderately  straight  ; 


AND   Leaden   Realities.  259 

but  the  frequent  and  sadden  curves  cbecked  too  much  the 
rapidity  of  the  current.  As  a  little  labor  here  would  save 
a  great  deal  on  the  dam,  we  bent  our  backs  to  the  work  with 
less  reluctance,  though  nothing  that  we  had  yet  done  in  Cali- 
fornia could  be  compared  to  it  for  a  moment.  If  there  is  any 
thing  in  this  world  deserving  the  contempt  of  a  rational  Ijeing. 
it  is  a  big  stone.  A  pig  is  certainly  as  obstiuate,  but  then  ho 
can  be  wheedled  into  going  the  way  you  wish.  A  fool  is 
perhaps  as  stupid,  but  he  can  be  beaten  into  reason.  But  a 
stone,  especially  if  large  enough  to  fancy  itself  a  rock,  is  worse 
than  a  tortoise.  It  draws  itself  up  into  its  shell  deaf  to  all 
argument  or  entreaty,  and  insensible  to  blows.  If  we  had 
only  had  Amphion's  lyre  ;  but  we  had  not  even  a  fiddle,  only 
crowbars  and  gunpowder,  and  our  poor  fingers.  And  there 
was  no  wind  to  disturb  the  stagnant  air — the  sun  streamed 
down  into  our  granite  prison  till  it  became  as  hot  as  a  Sand- 
wich Island  oven. 

B\it  at  length  the  work  was  completed — the  digging,  the 
blasting,  the  rolling  of  stones,  and  piling  them  up  into  a  firm 
smooth  wall,  were  all  over — the  dike  at  the  mouth  of  the 
canal  was  removed — the  parched  and  thirsty  channel  seemed 
to  swallow  eagerly  the  iurushing  river,  and  we  entered  upon 
the  far  more  agreeable  task  of  repairing  the  dam.  A  large 
flatboat  had  been  ab'eady  built  by  a  ship  carpenter  belonging 
to  our  company,  and  the  various  operations  of  the  preceding 
year  were  soon  under  full  headway. 

The  4th  of  July  came  hot  and  scorching  as  the  breath  of 
the  Sirocco.  We  had  celebrated  it  the  year  before  at  Ford's 
Bar  by  firing  guns  and  drinking  lemonade  ;  but  we  now 
slightly  varied  these  amusements.  Above  our  dam,  and 
formed  by  the  backing  up  of  the  water,  lay  a  swelling  pond 
winding  away  a  mile  among  the  hills.  Every  day,  as  we 
penned  in  the  water,  it  stole  noiselessly  farther  and  farther  up 
the  shore,  drowning  one  after  another  the  little  islands  and 
blades  of  grass  that  vainly  standing  on  tiptoe  stretched  their 


260  Golden   DiiEAMS 

heads  above  the  surface.  Embarked  in  our  flatboat  with 
only  one  companion,  a  pleasant  young  fellow  from  Philadel- 
phia, we  paddled  softly  up  this  newborn  lakelet  to  a  point  on 
the  farther  shore,  where  another  party  had  already  accumu- 
lated a  pile  of  earth  supposed  to  contain  a  slight  admixture 
of  clay,  which  it  was  our  duty  to  transport  to  the  head  of  the 
canal.  Here  it  was  taken  by  a  third  set  of  workmen,  and 
carried  tuo  hundred  yards  in  handbarrows,  over  a  most  diffi- 
cult path,  to  a  part  of  the  canal  where  the  island  was  so  low 
that  a  short  dike  was  necessary  to  prevent  the  water  from 
finding  its  way  back  into  the  river.  After  making  several 
trips,  we  yielded  our  situation- to  two  of  the  unfortunates  on 
the  bank,  and  took  their  })lace  in  digging  and  carrying  The 
hillside  where  they  had  been  excavating  was  several  hundred 
feet  from  the  water,  and  the  earth  must  be  carried  down  to 
the  shore  on  handbarrows,  of  all  inventions  the  most  ingeni- 
ously fatiguing.  Clouds  of  dust  ros:c  from  the  parched  ground, 
covering  us  from  head  to  foot  in  an  undistinguishable  suit  of 
reddish  grey.  The  whole  company  were  thus  occupied  a  week 
m  constructing  a  low  wall  not  more  than  twenty  feet  in 
length,  and  this  being  finished,  again  returned  to  work  on  the 
dam,  which  we  pushed  forward  with  the  fiercest  energy. 

We  had  now  to  settle  a  very  imj)ortant  question,  how  we 
should  drain  the  hollows  or  ponds  that  would  remain  after 
the  river  had  been  entirely  diverted  from  its  channel.  Man- 
power, horse-power,  and  water-power  were  all  proposed  ;  but 
the  first  was  altogether  inefficient,  and  the  other  two  well  nigh 
impracticable.  Nothing  then  seemed  left  but  steam.  We 
were  all  of  us  at  first  rather  frightened  at  the  thought  of  em- 
ploying so  powerful  an  auxiliary,  liut  it  soon  became  familiar, 
and  now  our  only  anxiety  was  lest  we  should  be  unable  to  ob- 
tain an  engine  of  suitable  ([ualifications.  Gapt.  Sampson  was 
despatched  to  San  Francisco  on  this  errand,  and  in  the  mean 
tin:ic  our  work  went  on  as  usual. 

Walking  one  morning  along  the  dam,  now  presenting  a 


AND    Lkvukn'    Realities.  261 

level  path  for  half  its  lensrth,  I  found  in  the  middle  where  the 
water  still  rushed  throug-h,  a  large  salmon,  who  had  leaped 
the  fall,  but  being  jammed  in  among  the  stones  was  unable  to 
overcome  the  force  of  the  current.  Another  was  found  soon 
after  in  the  same  predicament — the  eyes  of  both  were  gone — 
their  noses  worn  oflf,  and  their  bodies  gashed  with  frightful 
wounds.  This  is  the  condition  to  which  nearly  all  are  reduced 
before  reaching  the  sources  of  those  rapid  rivers  ;  and  per- 
haps nothing  else  can  show  so  clearly  the  force  of  what  may 
here  at  least  be  fairly  termed  a  blind  instinct. 

Capt.  Sampson  returned  in  less  than  a  week,  bringing 
with  him  a  small  steam-engine,  and  a  heavy  pump  of  cast-iron, 
of  a  very  peculiar  construction,  without  valves  or  boxes,  and 
working  by  centrifugal  force  alone.  The  whole  apparatus 
weighed  aliout  four  thousand  pounds,  and  cost  fifteen  hundred 
dollars. 

In  the  mean  time,  our  dam  had  rapidly  advanced  to  com- 
pletion. We  had  nothing  better  than  partially  decomposed 
granite  to  stop  the  leaks,  and  were  obliged  to  pick  the  whole 
of  that  from  the  solid  ledge  ;  yet  it  answered  the  purpose  so 
admirably  that  all  the  water  that  found  its  way  through  a 
dam  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long  and  ten  feet  high,  could 
easily  be  carried  in  a  canvass  hose  six  inches  in  diameter.  A 
sudden  rise  in  the  river,  occasioned  by  rain  in  the  mountains, 
filled  us  with  uneasiness  lest  it  should  overflow  our  dam,  but 
by  making  great  exertions  we  raised  a  small  mound  five  or 
six  inches  high  along  the  whole  extent,  and  this  slight  em- 
bankment was  sufficient  to  avert  the  threatened  calamity. 
The  next  day  the  river  had  again  fallen,  and  after  that  con- 
tinued steadily  to  abate,  till  the  top  of  the  dam  was  nearly 
three  feet  above  the  surface. 

It  was  the  close  of  the  third  week  in  July  that  our  patient 
perseverance  at  length  prevailed  over  the  waters.  The  next  day, 
being  Sunday,  we  saw  from  our  elevated  eyrie  different  members 
of  the  company  with  pan  and  shovel  wandering  about  in  the  bed 


262  Golden    Dreams 

of  the  river,  stoppincr  here  and  there  to  dig  and  wash  a  small 
quantity  of  eartli  and  then  shaking  their  heads  in  a  very  do- 
lorous and  unaccountable  inauner.  This  process  was  several 
times  repeated,  and  on  every  occasion  the  head-shaking  grew 
more  decidedly  melancholy.  Monday  morning,  on  going  to 
work  as  usual,  we  found  the  whole  company,  from  Capt.  Samp- 
son down  to  the  merest  halfshare  of  them  all,  iu  a  state  closely 
bordering  on  distraction,  and  radiating  the  blues  as  fast  as 
ever  a  redhot  cannon  ball  radiated  caloric.  "  Well,  Mr.  Ra- 
ven," said  Jimmy  almost  ready  to  cry,  "  our  work's  all  lost. 
I'd  sell  my  share  for  a  hundred  dollars  and  glad  o'  the 
chance  ;"  and  with  this  the  said  radiators  glowed  colder  than 
ever.  On  requesting  an  explanation  of  this  extraordinary 
conduct,  we  learned  that  they  had  dug  ever  so  many  holes 
the  day  before  and  hud  found  nothing — so  they  had  at  once 
concluded  that  there  was  nothing  to  find.  As  we  had  been 
the  principal  movers  and  originators  of  the  whole  undertaking, 
they  regarded  us  as  in  some  sort  the  authors  of  their  misfor- 
tunes, and  hence  we  had  to  bear  not  only  our  own  share  of 
the  common  disappointment,  but  also  their  ill-concealed  dis- 
pleasure. Our  situation  was  indeed  deplorable — most  of  us 
had  expended  not  only  our  labour  but  the  greater  part  of  our 
previous  earnings  in  purchasing  the  engine  and  other  matters, 
and  if  the  dam  should  prove  a  failure  we  were  utterly  ruined. 
But  would  it  prove  a  failure  ?  We  did  not  believe  it  would. 
In  the  whole  party  there  was  hardly  one  who  knew  any  more 
about  prospecting,  at  least  in  the  river,  than  a  hen  of  average 
intelligence.  Most  of  them  had  passed  their  apprenticeship 
in  the  southern  mines,  and  not  one  had  ever  had  any  thing  to 
do  with  damming.  We  ourselves  ha?d  been  very  slow  to  learn 
the  nicer  mysteries  of  our  craft,  but  we  knew  enough  to  sat- 
isfy us  that  a  claim  like  that  could  not  be  explored  in  a  day. 
We  squeezed  the  gloom  out  of  our  companions  like  water  out 
of  a  sponge,  and  the  next  morning  went  to  work  prospecting  in 
earnest,     St.  John  sunk  the  first  hole  between  a  snug  family 


AND    Leaden-    Realities.  263 

of  rocks  just  oil  the  edge  of  our  upper  hollow — the  earth  paid 
from  twenty  ccuts  to  teu  dollars  a  bucket,  and  in  two  hours 
he  took  out  with  my  assistance  sixty  dollars.  There  was  no 
more  grumbling  that  day — Jimmy  raised  his  price  from  one 
hundred  to  ten  thousand  dollars,  and  doubted  whether  he 
would  sell  even  for  that. 

Hose  was  still  wanting  to  convey  the  water  that  leaked 
through  the  dam  quite  across  tlie  upper  hoUov/,  so  that  it 
might  not  increase  too  much  the  labours  of  the  engine, — and 
Wednesday  I  rode  in  a  wagon  to  Sacramento  to  obtain  can- 
vass sufficient  for  this  purpose.  On  my  return  the  next  day 
by  stage  I  found  that  my  companions  had  already  moved  the 
engine  and  pump  across  the  river  by  means  of  rollers,  and  had 
set  them  up  on  a  stout  frame  at  the  foot  of  the  upper  hollow. 
A  short  trough  was  constructed  to  lead  the  water  from  the 
pump  directly  into  the  round  deep  pool  below,  and  we  were 
all  ready  to  begin. 

Our  affairs  were  now  in  a  highly  prosperous  condition, — a 
half  share  was  sold  before  the  engine  had  made  a  stroke,  for 
nearly  a  thousand  dollars,  and  every  day  members  of  other 
companies,  none  of  which  had  "got  into  the  river,"  came  to 
look,  and  admire,  and  wonder  they  had  not  bought  shares 
when  they  could  have  done  it  so  easily.  The  American  Dam- 
ming stock  was  now  among  the  best  in  the  market,  and  was 
quoted  in  the  Sacramento  papers  at  ten  thousand  dollars  a 
share. 

All  this  could  not  but  be  highly  gratifying  even  to  men 
of  that  meek  and  modest  temper  for  which,  I  do  not  say  our 
whole  company,  but  some  of  us  were  remarkable.  In  the 
pride  of  our  heart  we  could  not  help  glorying  a  little  over  our 
neighbours,  as  if  our  good  fortune  had  been  entirely  owing  to 
our  superior  sagacity — and  I  noticed  that  one  or  two  who  had 
been  led  into  the  scheme  almost  against  their  wills,  were  now 
tlie  loudest  in  this  self-laudation.  We  met,  however,  with 
almost  innumerable  delays — the  wood  was  wet,  or  the  boiler 


204  G  O  L  1)  F.  N     I)  l{  K  A  M  H 

leaked,  or  the  belt  sii])t  rrorn  tiic  whiriing-  drums.  It  was 
some  time,  too,  before  we  discovered  the  secret  of  the  pmnp — 
after  working  finely  several  hours,  and  lowering  the  water  as 
many  feet,  the  stream  suddenly  ceased  to  flow.  "We  took  the 
pump  to  pieces,  and  spent  nearly  all  the  rest  of  the  day  in 
trying  to  detect  the  cause  of  this  interruption,  but  gained  no 
more  by  our  scrutiny  than  the  child  who  cut  open  the  bellows 
to  find  where  the  wind  came  from.  After  puzzling  over  it 
all  night,  we  resumed  our  examination  in  the  morning,  but 
with  no  better  success,  and  were  all  ready  to  despair,  when 
suddenly  the  Captain  and  St.  John  both  cried  out  at  once, 
"  Suppose  we  put  the  pump  nearer  the  water,  and  see  how 
that  v.ill  work."  Sure  enough,  it  flashed  upon  us  all  in  a 
moment  that  it  was  not  a  suction  but  a  force  pump — we 
accordingly  lowered  the  frame  on  which  it  rested,  and  in  this 
position  found  that  it  would  drain  the  hole  in  six  hours. 

The  harvest  had  now  commenced  that  was  to  repay  us  for 
months  of  toil — we  had  thrust  aside  with  strong  arm  the 
guardian  river,  and  its  treasures  only  waited  our  touch  to  be 
laid  open  to  the  light.  We  hastened  to  secure  them  with 
trembling  hand.  Rocks  were  torn  from  their  deep  founda- 
tions, and  the  thick-skinned  granite  scraped  even  to  its 
quivering  nerves.  The  bed  where  the  old  South  Fork  had 
lain,  reposing  in  quiet,  or  restlessly  tossing,  so  many  genera- 
tions, was  now  to  be  well  shaken  and  made  up  afresh. 
Parties  set  to  work  at  different  points,  and  everywhere  the 
short  puff  of  the  engine  and  droning  hum  of  the  pump 
mingled  with  the  harsher  tones  of  the  rocker  and  the  cheerful 
sound  of  pick  and  shovel.  Our  gains  were  all  put  into  one 
common  receptacle,  and  every  evening  we  assembled  at  the 
Captain's  tent  to  see  them  weighed  and  divided. 

There  was  a  peculiar  charm  about  those  evening  parties 
that  is  often  wanting  in  more  elegant  assemblies.  The  scene 
thus  presented  would  have  made  a  fine  subject  for  Hogarth. 
The  flickering  light  of  the  fire  burning  in  the  huge  chimney 


AND    Lkaden   Realities.  265 

slionc  ou  a  group  of  men  with  coarse  woollen  shirts  and 
unshorn  faces,  leaning  on  their  elbows  round  the  rude  table, 
and  fixing  their  eyes  with  eager  interest  on  the  paunchy  bags 
that  lay  before  the  Captain,  and  the  gold  which  he  was  nicely 
adjusting  in  the  scales  by  means  of  his  forefinger  and  thumb, 
as  if  it  had  been  so  much  genuine  Irish  Blackguard.  A 
crowd  of  spectators  stand  looking  on,  either  men  hired  by  the 
company,  or  miners  in  the  red  bank.  Hairy  rheumatic  Bill, 
the  Captain's  cook,  with  ladle  in  hand,  alternates  from  the 
table  to  the  fire,  divided  between  a  fierce  avaricious  love  of 
his  half  share  and  a  more  tender  solicitude  for  the  soup  sim- 
mering in  the  corner.  "Well,  Capting,  how  much  has  us  got 
to-night  ?"  says  Jimmy,  and  "  How  much  to  a  sheer  V  cries 
a  Missourian  sitting  on  the  lower  end  of  the  long  table,  and 
craning  his  neck  and  goggling  his  eyes  after  a  most  alarming 
fashion.  Our  three  shares,  as  being  the  largest  undivided 
portion,  were  first  weighed  out,  and  received  in  a  wide-mouthed 
vial.  Then  the  Captain,  with  peculiar  satisfaction,  set  aside 
a  douljle  portion  for  himself — then  as  much  more  for  Jimmy. 
The  half  shares,  of  which  at  one  time  there  were  six,  came 
last.  All  that  was  scattered  on  the  table  was'  magnani- 
mously left  for  old  Bill.  The  same  jokes  were  repeated 
regularly  every  evening,  and  never  failed  of  a  favourable 
reception.  "  Well,  Mr.  Raven,  your  bottle  isn't  full  yet," 
says  Jimmy,  with  a  chuckle.  The  Captain  laments  the 
necessity  of  taking  care  of  so  much  of  the  plaguey  stuff ; 
when  instantly  half  a  dozen  disinterested  individuals  offer  to 
relieve  him  of  the  trouble,  to  which  his  only  reply  is  an 
abstracted  laugh.  The  largest  sum  divided  on  these  occasions 
was  fourteen  hundred  dollars,  or  one  hundred  and  forty  to  a 
share,  which  in  those  days  was  considered  very  tolerable 
mining. 

Nor  was  the  labour  itself  entirely  devoid  of  excitement. 
Whenever  a  remarkably  rich  spot  was  discovered,  or  there 
was  an  unusual  "  show"  in  any  of  the  rockers,  nothing  would 
12 


206  Golden  Dkeams 

do  but  all  must  come  and  see  it.  "  "Well,  boys  !  I  say,  just 
look  a  here  ;''  and  presently  half  a  score  of  eager  heads  are 
thrust  together  over  the  cradle,  or  down  into  some  crevice 
among  the  rocks  lighted  up  with  a  right  fairy  splendour  with 
spangles  of  pure  gold.  When  all  other  epithets  have  been 
exhausted,  some  one  exclaims,  "Well  !  that's  real  lousy  !  that 
is  !"'  a  most  felicitous  comparison,  at  least  to  the  ears  of  a 
Californian. 

But  in  the  mean  time  trouble  was  brewing  in  a  direction 
where  none  of  us  looked  for  it.  Ours  was  the  first  of  a  long 
series  of  claims  extending  in  unbroken  succession  some  dis- 
tance below  Mormon  Island.  A  gap  had  remained  in  this 
chain  for  several  weeks,  the  second  company  below  us  not 
having  finished  their  flume  so  soon  as  the  others,  and  in  the 
mean  time  a  second  dam  had  been  erected  by  the  South  Fork 
company  still  farther  down  the  river.  But  when  the  company 
first  mentioned  had  completed  their  preparations,  they  insisted 
upon  the  removal  of  this  dam,  as  it  backed  the  water  into 
their  claini ;  and  threatened,  if  their  request  were  not  complied 
with,  to  tear  it  down  with  their  own  hands.  The  South  Fork 
finally  yielded  the  point,  and  now  our  dam  answered  for  a 
dozen  companies,  covering  an  extent  of  nearly  two  miles. 
The  river  ran  for  this  distance  sometimes  in  wooden  flumes, 
and  sometimes,  as  with  us,  in  canals  ;  and  as  considerable 
water  escaped  from  these  artificial  channels,  and  as  there 
were,  besides,  hollows  of  different  dimensions  requiring  to  be 
drained  in  every  claim,  it  was  necessary  for  the  success  of  the 
whole  that  this  water  should  all  be  pumped  back  into  the 
flumes  and  not  suffered  to  flow  into  those  below.  There  were 
several  reasons  why  we  should  not  be  required  to  enter  into 
this  arrangement.  In  the  first  place,  our  company  being 
older  than  those  next  below,  we  had  the  undisputed  right, 
according  to  the  universal  law  of  the  mines,  to  work  in  the 
way  most  suited  to  our  convenience.  Furthermore,  as  only 
one  of  the  other  companies  had  built  a  dam,  and  that  was  a 


AND   Leaden   Realities.  267 

very  slight  afifair,  while  we  had  laboured  for  weeks  for  the 
common  advantage,  we  thought  they  could  not  reasonably 
object  to  so  slight  a  leakage,  especially  as,  if  they  had  built 
one,  they  would  still  have  had  at  least  an  equal  quantity  of 
water  to  contend  with.  But  it  is  in  vain  to  expect  reason 
from  envy  and  disappointed  avarice.  One  day  about  the 
middle  of  August,  Captain  Sampson  having  boon  down  to  the 
village,  returned  in  great  excitement  with  the  information  that 
a  large  party  of  miners,  consisting  of  members  of  the  lower 
companies,  were  already  on  their  march  to  destroy  our  engine. 
We  heard  no  more  of  it,  however,  at  that  time,  and  members 
of  the  companies  with  whom  we  were  acquainted  assuring  us 
that  they  had  no  such  design,  we  hoped  the  storm  had  blown 
over.  But  less  than  a  week  after,  a  large  party  came  upon 
us  while  we  were  at  work  in  the  river,  "  to  make  us,"  as  they 
said,  '"take  care  of  our  leak  water."  Not  one  of  them  seemed 
to  know  exactly  what  he  had  to  complain  of — they  had  not 
yet  succeeded  according  to  their  expectations,  and  in  some 
way  we  were  to  blame.  They  evidently  had  an  idea  that  a 
vast  body  of  water  was  sent  down  upon  them  from  our  claim, 
either  made  by  the  engine  or  from  some  other  mysterious 
source  ;  but  more  tlian  all,  though  we  did  not  learn  this  till 
afterwards,  they  hated  Captain  Sampson  and  those  Ravens, 
they  were  so  stuck  up.  Still  we  had  no  fears  they  would 
proceed  to  actual  violence,  since  one  of  our  company  could, 
by  toppling  a  few  stones  into  our  race,  raise  the  river  sufS- 
ciently  to  flow  over  the  top  of  our  dam,  when  it  would  have 
been  instantly  washed  away,  and  the  whole  accumulated  flood 
precipitated  bodily  upon  all  below,  involving  them  in  one 
common  destruction.  After  a  long  farrago  of  words,  which  it 
would  be  in  vain  to  dignify  by  the  name  of  argument,  they 
proposed  building  a  dam  at  the  foot  of  our  claim  to  catch  the 
water  then  flowing  from  our  engine.  To  this  we  made  no 
objection,  as  our  upper  hollow  would  be  exhausted  in  a  few 
days,  and  we  had  already  agreed  with  the  company  imme- 


268  Golden    Dreams 

diately  below  to  pump  the  '.vater  from  tlie  lower  one  into  their 
flume  on  condition  of  their  providing  a  trough  long  enough 
for  the  purpose.  Though  this  difficulty  was  thus  disposed  of, 
yet  the  impression  it  produced  was  so  deep  and  lasting,  and 
the  idea  of  continuing  in  such  a  state  of  warfare  was  so 
repugnant  to  our  feelings  that  we  determined  to  hasten  our 
departure  as  much  as  possible. 

To  avoid  the  troublesome  task  of  moving  the  engine  we 
drained  the  second  hole,  which  was  quite  small,  by  means  of 
an  immense  wooden  pump  requiring  three  men  to  work  it. 
They  were  relieved  every  half  hour  by  a  second  set,  and  thus 
the  work  w^ent  on  day  and  night,  till  the  water  was  low  enough 
to  admit  of  a  tliorough  exploration,  and  wc  found  there  was 
hardly  gold  enough  to  pay  us  for  the  expense  of  pumping. 

The  lowest,  and  by  far  the  largest,  hollow  still  remained, 
and  to  this  we  now  directed  all  onr  energies.  As  there  was 
no  place  on  the  bank  sufliciently  level  to  set  up  our  engine, 
and  as  we  had  already  experienced  the  inconvenience  of  a 
stationary  support,  we  determined  to  build  a  flatboat  large 
enough  to  contain  the  engine,  pump,  and  all  its  appendages. 
The  boat  was  christened  by  Capt.  Sampson  the  Hoosier  or 
Who  za  ?  and  was,  I  believe,  the  first  steamboat  ever  built  on 
the  American  River,  if  not  in  California.  It  answered  the 
l)nrpose  admirably,  falling  with  the  water  and  thus  keeping  the 
pump  always  level  with  the  surface.  We  had  need  of  every 
advantage,  for  besides  the  great  extent  of  the  hole,  we  were 
obliged,  in  order  to  comply  with  our  agreement,  to  raise  the 
water  some  fifteen  feet  above  its  average  level  ;  and  it  was 
nearly  a  week  before  we  were  able  to  resume  our  raining  ope- 
rations. The  untiring  engine  was  kept  at  work  day  and 
night  ;  but  as  our  engineer,  though  a  very  clever  fellow,  was 
not  ma  !e  of  the  same  material,  it  was  necessary  to  provide 
him  with  an  assistant. 

I  occupied  this  responsible  situation  for  a  few  hours,  and 
must  confess  I  felt  no  slight  degree  of  elation  at  my  prefer- 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  269 

ment.  I  always  had  an  infinite  respect  for  one  of  your  mam- 
moth steam-engines,  which  seem  to  me  to  furnish  the  best 
instance  of  magnanimity  that  can  anywhere  be  found  ;  and 
our  little  spitfire,  though  it  could  claim  no  such  distinction, 
yet  attracted  me  by  its  patient  indefatigable  industry  and 
honesty  of  purpose,  so  that  I  fairly  loved  it  as  if  a  man's  heart 
were  beating  under  its  closely-buttoned  iron  jacket. 

It  is  the  fashion  to  talk  of  the  present  century  as  in  the 
highest  degree  unromantic  and  prosaic  ;  yet  there  is  more 
real  romance  and  poetry  in  the  engines  of  the  Baltic  than  in 
all  tlie  barbaric  pomp  of  the  middle  ages.  While  I  was  not 
occupied  in  attending  to  the  simple  wants  of  my  humble  work- 
fellow,  I  amused  myself  with  watching  the  dragon-flies  riding 
tandem  over  the  water,  or  balancing  with  wonderful  rigidity 
on  the  little  twigs  that  rose  al)Ove  the  surface.  In  the  evening 
the  funnel  sent  forth  a  swarm  of  ephemera  that  returned  no 
more  to  the  parent  hive,  but  went  dancing  away  over  the 
black  water  till  they  disappeared  beneath  it.  They  seemed 
like  a  wedding  troop  of  fairies  in  torchlight  procession,  escort- 
ing one  of  their  number  to  espouse  a  spirit  of  the  wave.  As 
they  approached  the  water,  a  second  troop  appeared  coming 
to  meet  them  ;  and  each  in  turn,  some  with  a  sudden  plunge, 
others  with  a  coquettish,  sidling  motion,  rushed  into  the  arms 
of  their  partners,  blowing  out  their  torches  at  the  moment  of 
their  embrace  to  hide  their  burning  blushes. 

While  I  indulged  in  these  idle  fancies,  the  homely  little 
engine  by  my  side  still  worked  on,  though  wondering  perhaps 
at  my  long  silence  ;  twelve  o'clock  soon  came,  and  with  it  the 
one  who  was  to  relieve  me.  I  picked  my  way  darkling  across 
the  rocky  channel — ran  rapidly  up  the  viver,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  was  fast  asleep. 

Wednesdai/,  Sept.  3.  Our  claim  being  by  this  time  nearly 
worked  out,  St.  John  sold  his  share  for  a  few  hundred  dollars, 
and  the  next  day  I  disposed  of  mine  for  the  same  price.  Soon 
after  we  struck  a  rich  streak,  and  I  was  extremely  vexed  at 


270  G  0  L  I)  K  N      D  K  E  A  it  S 


having  sold.  The  purchaser,  on  learning  that  the  company 
was  in  deljt  to  a  trifling  amount,  felt  equally  indisposed  to  the 
bargain,  and  the  share  returned  into  my  possession. 

Two  o'clock,  Y.  M.  St.  John  sorry  he  sold — evening  cloudy, 
night,  a  slight  shower — Friday  morning,  more  rain — very  dis- 
mal— sorry  I  did  not  sell.  The  man  who  bought  St.  John's 
share  comes  to  our  tent  in  positive  agony,  and  offers  fifty  dol- 
lars to  be  released  from  his  bargain.  Eleven  a.  m.  brighter 
— ten  p.  M.  water  low — shares  high — rich  dirt — offered  the 
same  for  my  share  as  yesterday — refused. 

It  again  rained  during  the  night,  and  I  had  ample  time  to 
repent  my  indiscretion,  but  the  next  day  the  sun  shone  with 
unusual  brilliancy,  and  I  finally  disposed  of  my  share  for  the 
same  price  as  l)efore. 

We  had  now  nothing  to  keep  us  any  longer  in  California 
— we  sold  our  tent  with  all  its  furniture  for  fifty  dollars,  and 
tlien  began  the  most  successful  mining  we  had  yet  had  any 
thing  to  do  with.  We  closed  the  door  of  our  tent,  still  ours 
until  we  had  left  it,  and  commenced  digging  in  the  floor  in 
places  whose  position  we  discovered  by  certain  marks  upon 
the  Avooden  framework  of  the  walls.  I  first  brought  to  light 
a  mustard  bottle,  now  full,  however,  of  a  far  brighter  and  more 
pungent  dust — St.  John  at  the  same  moment  displayed  an 
ancient  vinegar  cruet  without  a  neck,  so  tlmt  it  gave  up  all 
the  more  readily  its  precious  contents.  I  then  produced  from 
a  third  place  of  deposit  a  vial  that  once  contained,  as  the 
words  blown  into  its  sides  declared,  a  vegetable  elixir  of  won- 
derfid  virtues  ;  but  few,  I  believe,  who  would  not  have  found 
the  mineral  panacea  far  more  agreeable,  unless  indeed  admin- 
istered on  homoiopathic  principles.  In  no  long  time  a  whole 
apothecary's  shop  was  arrayed  on  our  little  table,  every  vial, 
however  dlfforont  in  sha;>e,  containing  the  same  grand  cathol- 
icon,  that  if  it  cannot  cure  all,  will  euro  as  m.iny  of  the  ills 
that  flesh  is  heir  to  as  all  others  put  together. 

We  emptied  the  contents  of  these  viuls  into  The  New  York 


^ 


AXD   Leaden   Realities.  271 

Tribune,  and  having  transferred  the  shining  heap  into  sundry- 
leathern  bags  and  belts,  we  carried  our  well-filled  trunk,  con- 
taining a  variety  of  curiosities,  out  on  to  the  bank  before  the 
tent, — came  back  to  look  once  more  at  the  table,  the  beds, 
the  stove,  that  had  so  wrought  themselves  into  our  being — 
then  softly  closing  the  door  for  the  last  time,  walked  swiftly 
down  the  well  known  path,  not  daring  to  look  behind  us,  and 
with  a  feeling  of  melancholy  it  was  impossible  to  resist. 

We  slept  that  night  at  Number  Four's,  and  the  next  morn- 
ing started  in  a  wagon  for  Sacramento,  not  without  a  sensa- 
tion of  regret  at  our  final  abandonment  of  a  life  that  with  all 
its  hardships  had  yet  yielded  us  so  much  enjoyment.  We 
arrived  at  Sacramento  only  a  few  minutes  before  the  boat 
started,  and  at  2  p.  jr.  bid  that  city  a  final  farewell,  precisely 
two  years  to  a  day,  and  almost  to  an  hour,  since  I  first  landed 
from  the  Patuxent.  The  contrast  between  the  diminutive 
schooner  and  the  spacious  decks  of  the  Senator  was  hardly 
greater  than  that  between  the  squalid  miners  huddled  together 
like  a  flock  of  sheep  in  the  one,  and  the  well  dressed  crowd  of 
comfortable  tradesmen  in  the  other  ;  and  but  for  a  single 
incident  I  might  have  supposed  myself  in  one  of  the  floating 
palaces  of  the  Hudson.  A  handsome  young  man,  who  came 
out  of  the  saloon  while  we  were  sitting  on  the  quarter  deck, 
attracted  my  attention  by  what  I  set  down  as  the  most  ridic- 
ulous affectation.  He  was  drest  in  the  height  of  the  fashion, 
with  a  superabundance  of  jewelry,  and  a  pair  of  the  very 
smallest  boots,  which  I  thought  partially  accounted  for  his 
peculiar  mincing  gait.  I  had  begun  to  regard  him  with  even 
painful  aversion,  when  some  one  whispered  to  me  that  it  was 
a  woman,  and  my  feelings  underwent  a  sudden  change.  What- 
ever I  might  think  of  her  moral  character,  I  could  no  longer 
accuse  her  of  inconsistency  or  afi'ectation — her  mincing  gait 
became  a  swimming  walk — her  love  of  ornament,  her  little  sim- 
pering ways,  her  downcast  lids,  were  her  hereditary,  inalienable 
right,  with  which  I  had  no  more  reason  nor  inclination  to  find 


272  Golden    Dreams 

fault  tluiu  with  her  slight  figure  and  delicate  complexion.  She 
promenaded  the  deck  for  hours  in  all  the  independence  of  her 
masculine  assumed  attire  :  but  when  the  bell  rang  for  supper, 
she  slunk  down  with  the  petticoats,  thus  adroitly,  like  other 
apostles  of  woman's  rights,  reserving  her  own  peculiar  privi- 
leges while  insisting  upon  her  claim  to  ours. 

On  arriving  at  San  Francisco  we  took  lodgings  at  a  hotel, 
where  we  remained  until  the  sailing  of  the  next  steamer,  in 
which  we  hastened  to  secure  a  passage.  We  spent  the  time 
pleasantly  enough  in  walking  about  the  city,  visiting  the  va- 
rious places  of  public  amusement,  and  the  magnificent  clippers 
lying  at  the  wharves,  among  which  the  Flying  Cloud,  lately 
arrived  from  the  quickest  passage  on  record,  most  attracted 
our  attention. 

Being  now  about  to  leave  the  shores  of  California,  I  wished 
to  signalize  the  event  by  some  deed  of  high  emprise,  or,  in  the 
w^ords  of  the  great  captain,  finish  the  campaign  by  a  clap  of 
thunder.  My  acquaintance  in  the  city  were  constantly  making 
fortunes  by  lucky  speculations,  and  I  saw  no  reason  why  I 
should  not  follow  their  example.  Opportunities  were  not 
wanting — nearly  every  other  building  in  San  Francisco  was 
occupied  as  a  commission  and  auction  store,  where  the  most 
incredible  bargains  were  offered  every  day  and  every  hour. 

I  entered  one  of  the  largest  of  these  establishments  just  as 
the  auctioneer  was  bidding  off  some  kind  of  under  garment ; 
and  as  he  whirled  them  dexterously  around,  I  observed  that 
they  had  sleeves,  and  asked  to  know  no  more.  Here  was  the 
opportunity  for  which  I  had  panted.  I  pressed  forward 
among  the  bidders,  and  the  next  moment,  such  was  the  rapid- 
ity of  my  conclusion  and  the  prompt  energy  of  my  action,  I 
found  myself  the  happy  owner  of  eight  dozen  ladies'  under- 
shirts. "What  name?"  says  the  auctioneer.  "  Mr.  Cash." 
"  Please  step  into  the  back  i)art  of  the  store,  Mr.  Cash,  and 
receive  your  goods."  While  I  stood,  like  Atlas  or  Teneriffe, 
unremovcd,  and  the  whole  crowd  of  wondering  bidders  stared 


AND   Leaden    Realities.  273 

at  me  as  who  should  say,  "  What  under  the  canopy  do  you 
want  of  eight  dozen  ladies'  undershirts  V  St.  John,  who 
had  hitherto  stood  a  silent  and  be\'iildered  spectator  of  the 
scene,  the  suddenness  of  the  whole  proceeding  having  given 
him  no  time  to  interfere,  now  recovered  from  his  torpor,  and 
taking  me  all  unresisting  ])y  the  arm  he  quietly  led  me  to  the 
back  of  the  shop,  and  then,  making  a  skilfid  detour  round  a 
counter,  out  into  the  street,  where  we  never  once  stopped  to 
look  behind  us  till  we  had  left  the  danger  far  behind,  and  I 
was  able  to  thank  St.  John  for  my  deliverance.  "When  in  an- 
swer to  his  very  natural  inquiries  I  gave  him  an  explanation 
of  what  he  had  just  witnessed,  though  he  highly  approved  of 
my  design,  that  is  of  making  a  fortune,  he  thought  the  man- 
ner in  which  I  set  about  the  execution  of  it  hardly  justified 
any  very  sanguine  notions  of  success,  and  discouraged  me  to 
that  degree  that  I  had  no  heart  for  any  farther  experiment ; 
and  thus  ended  my  first  and  last  speculation.  I  have  been 
since  inclined  to  regret  this  result  when  I  have  considered  that 
Wellington  was  defeated  in  his  first  battle,  and  that  Freder- 
ick the  Great  even  fled  from  the  field  ;  and  in  the  same  man- 
ner I,  though  my  first  essay  terminated  so  disastrously,  might 
have  come  in  time  to  be  the  greatest  merchant  since  Jacob 
Aster.  But  whatever  business  talent  I  possessed  was  then 
and  there  crushed  in  the  bud — I  have  ever  since  shrunk  from 
the  sight  of  an  auctioneer  as  a  thief  from  the  sight  of  an  offi- 
cer, and  the  merest  glimpse  of  a  lady's  undershirt  is  enough 
to  disturb  my  equanimity  for  a  whole  day — while  I  regard  the 
mention  of  such  an  article  in  my  hearing  as  an  offence  beyond 
the  reach  of  forgiveness. 
12*    . 


274  Golden    Dkeams 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

SATURDAY,  the  13th  of  September,  1851,  at  five  o'clock 
''■-^  in  the  evening,  we  went  on  board  the  Carolina,  then 
lying  at  the  wharf,  and  all  ready  for  sea.  She  was  a  pro- 
peller of  six  hundred  tons,  built  as  a  two-decker,  but  had 
afterwards  been  raised  by  her  present  proprietors,  who,  in 
their  disinterested  anxiety  to  promote  the  comfort  of  their 
passengers,  would  gladly  have  gone  on  adding  story  to  story 
till  she  was  as  high  as  the  Astor  House  or  the  Tower  of  Babel, 
if  they  could  only  have  devised  a  plan  for  making  her  as  firm 
as  either  of  those  centres  of  wealth  and  fashion.  She  seemed 
now  as  crowded  as  a  well  filled  pincushion  ;  but  it  is  a  curious 
though  well  authenticated  fact,  and  one  of  which  the  various 
steamboat  companies  have  not  failed  to  take  advantage,  that 
five  hundred  passengers  returning  from  California  occupy  little 
more  room  than  half  that  immber  from  the  Atlantic  States  ; 
cither  because  the  disappointment  that  most  of  them  meet 
with  operates  like  the  prick  of  a  pin  on  an  inflated  bladder, 
or  because,  and  this  I  apprehend  is  after  all  the  true  reason, 
the  hot  and  arid  temperature  of  that  country  so  dries  up  the 
fluids  and  juices  of  the  body  that  it  gradually  wizzles  away 
till  it  is  reduced  to  the  same  condition  as  a  mummy  or  dried 
apple. 

Be  this  as  it  may,  on  looking  round  among  my  fellow 
passengers  I  saw  many  who  seemed  to  feel  as  if  they  could 
easily  creep  into  a  rat-hole  ;  and,  for  my  own  part,  if  it  had 
not  been  for  the  belt  round  my  waist,  I  have  no  doubt  I  could 


AN'D    Leadex    Realities.  ^275 

have  squeezed  through  a  crack  or  into  a  bottle  without  the 
slightest  inconvenience.  But  gaunt,  and  wizzled,  and  vroe- 
begone  as  was  the  appearance  of  our  company,  it  was  nothing 
to  what  was  brought  about  by  a  few  weeks'  confinement  on 
shijDboard  ;  so  that  if  the  voyage  had  been  long  enough,  a 
good  sized  pea-pod  would  have  furnished  a  craft  amply  >.nf- 
ficient  for  our  shrunken  mortality. 

The  Carolina  went  to  sea  with  four  hundred  passengers, 
of  whom  nearly  three-fourths  were  in  the  steerage.  The 
accommodations  provided  for  this  class  consisted  of  a  large 
cabin  on  the  lower  deck,  and  a  smaller  one  directly  above  it, 
both  furnished  with  berths  similar  to  those  of  a  river  steam- 
boat, with  this  difference,  that  though  scarcely  any  wider, 
they  were  intended  to  be  occupied  by  two  persons.  In  cold 
weather  this  would  have  been  hardly  tolerable,  and  the  reader 
can  imagine  the  delights  of  such  intimate  fellowship  in  the 
sultry  sluggish  air  of  the  tropics.  After  one  or  two  trials  I 
gave  up  in  despair,  and  spreading  my  blankets  on  deck,  slept 
there  every  night  during  the  remainder  of  the  voyage.  At 
least  half  of  my  companions  had  the  same  choice — we  made 
the  vast  Pacific  our  bed-chamber,  and  strewed  the  lofty  deck 
of  our  steamer  thicker  than  leaves  in  Yallarabrosa.  By  eight 
o'clock  every  spot  was  occupied,  and  it  was  then  almost 
impossible  to  cross  the  deck,  especially  in  rough  weather, 
without  tripping  over  some  unlucky  nose,  or  flattening  it 
level  with  the  astonished  cheeks.  The  ship  now  became 
silent  as  the  dawn  of  creation,  except  the  hoarse  coffee-mill 
grinding  of  the  propeller,  and  the  palpable  stillness  of  the 
passing  ripple.  We  could  almost  hear  the  stars  twinkling  in 
the  sky,  and  the  hum-top  spin  of  the  round-faced  moon.  This 
was  delightful — delicious — enchanting — excessively  fine — but 
several  hours  later,  about  the  time  that  the  milk-cart  rattles 
o'er  the  stony  street,  and  the  fisherman's  horn  .splits  the  dull 
ear  of  night — when  the  punctual  plodding  Phoebus,  clunbing 
his  eastern  ladder,  streaks  the  wide  horizon  with  his  flpatiog 


■2T0  Golden    Dreams 

goldeu  hair — a  luiniic  deluge,  commeucing-  at  the  forecastle, 
fomcs  drowning  out  our  little  world.  Onto  the  hencoops  ! 
up  into  the  rigging  \  down  into  the  steerage  !  every  man  for 
himself,  and  the  long  crawling  hose,  a  veritable  sea-serpent, 
take  the  hindmost  !  "  Oh  !  preserve  us  !"  cries  some  heavy 
dreamer,  striking  out  as  if  to  swim — "oh — ah — whooo  !  I 
thought  the  ship  was  sinking  ;"  and  now  wide  awake,  "  Bless 
us  !  if  I  don't  wish  she  would." 

This  was  pleasant  weather,  but  sometimes  it  rained  and 
blew.  Then  the  labouring  ship,  making  more  angles  with  the 
horizon  than  Sir  Isaac  Xewton  ever  dreamed  of,  rolled  our 
loose  disjointed  bodies  crunching  over  the  oaken  planks — the 
sullen  soddening  rain  hung  every  bristle  on  our  blankets  with 
conglobing  drops — or  a  phosphorescent  wave  drenched  us  to 
the  skin,  filling  our  eyes,  our  mouths,  our  pockets,  with  its 
briny  flood.  If  all  the  resolutions  made  at  such  times  should 
be  kept,  few  would  ever  trust  themselves  again  to  the 
treacherous  element. 

The  first  four  days  of  our  voyage  passed  pleasantly  enough. 
The  sea  was  smooth,  the  sky  was  fair,  a  favouring  breeze 
pushed  us  gently  on  our  way,  and  we  ran  in  that  time  nearly 
nine  hundred  miles.  The  thoughts  of  home  with  which  all 
were  occupied,  though  they  produced  a  silence  and  reserve 
strangely  in  contrast  with  the  noisy  hilarity  of  the  voyage  out, 
at  the  same  time  disposed  all  to  bear  the  hardships  and 
annoyances  incident  to  their  situation  with  patience  and  good 
humour.  "We  became  by  degrees,  like  a  barrel  of  apples, 
shaken  and  jolted  into  our  places  until  we  were  able  to  move 
about  the  deck  without  displacing  another  at  every  step.  The 
prospect  of  a  speedy  run,  and  the  hope  of  beating  the  Panama 
that  was  to  start  two  days  after  us,  heightened  the  general 
satisfaction. 

But  this  scene  was  changed  with  the  capricious  suddenness 
of  a  play.  The  fifth  night  I  had  spread  my  blankets  on  a 
hencoop,  and  fell  asleep  with  the  stars  burning  undimmed  in 


! 


AND   Leaden    Realities.  277 

the  firmament.  I  was  awakened  about  midnight  by  a  dismal 
up/oar  for  which  no  place  on  land  is  big  enough  unless  it  be 
the  desert  of  Sahara,  or  one  of  our  western  prairies.  A  sud- 
den squall  had  sprung  up  from  the  south,  directly  in  our  teeth. 
The  canvass  awnings  stretched  across  the  deck  twisted  and 
writhed  as  if  in  torture.  The  sailors,  at  the  hoarse  cry  of 
"  all  hands  ahoy,"  came  trampling  along  the  deck,  knocking 
down  the  stupid  wakers  who  sat  upright  on  their  blankets 
like  half  animated  right  angles,  and  rubbed  their  sleepy  eyes. 
Two  hundred  piles  of  bedding  at  one  and  the  same  moment 
seemed  endowed  with  the  power  of  locomotion,  and  began  to 
walk,  and  creep,  and  tumble  towards  the  steerage. 

And  now  the  mighty  Pacific  seemed  bent  on  showing  us 
what  she  could  do  with  our  cockle-shell  of  a  boat.  After  the 
first  angry  burst,  as  if  sounding  the  charge,  she  went  to  work 
with  a  coolness  and  deliberation  well  suited  to  her  royalty 
and  power.  She  tossed  us  from  one  hand  to  another  with 
stunning  violence.  Her  winds  blew  not  wearily,  but  with 
that  fierce  energy  as  if  they  had  just  been  let  loose  from  their 
stalls.  The  sea  went  up,  and  the  sky  came  down,  as  if,  like 
the  man  in  the  iron  cage,  we  were  to  be  crushed  between  the 
walls  of  our  dungeon.  A  sensation  of  sea-sickness — of  stu- 
pidity— of  utter  loathing  and  yet  desire  of  life — of  wet  clothes 
clinging  heavily  to  the  shrunken,  shivering  body — of  breathing 
an  atmosphere  half  air  half  water — a  feeling  as  if  one  had  fins 
and  scales— -a  constant  holding  on  to  hats,  or  watching  them 
with  strange  melancholy  as  they  fly  away  in  the  distance — 
these  things,  together  with  a  dreamy,  ill-defined  sublimity  over 
all,  make  up  a  storm  at  sea. 

But  this  was  not  the  end.  Our  ship,  after  skilfully  dodging 
for  a  long  time  the  tremendous  blows  aimed  at  her  by  the 
furious  waves,  at  length  received  such  a  punch  in  the  breast 
as  seemed  fairly  to  knock  the  breath  out  of  her  body.  No 
outward  injury  was  at  first  discovered,  but  she  bled  inwardly 
and  had  evidently  sprung  a  dangerous  leak.     I  was  sitting 


278  GoLDEX   Dreams 

like  a  perpendicular  mummy  on  the  deserted  quarter-deck, 
about  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  watching  the  dim  billows 
that  sent  a  constant  flood  of  foam  over  the  bows,  when  St. 
John  came  up,  and  steadying  himself  by  my  chair,  informed 
me  in  a  sepulchral  whisper  that  there  were  ten  feet  of  water 
in  the  hold,  that  the  leak  was  gaining  fast,  and  threatened  to 
put  out  the  fires.  Instinctively  I  put  my  hand  to  the  leathern 
belt  around  my  waist,  and  groaned  aloud.  Was  it  for  this 
that  I  had  braved  the  hardships  of  a  six  months'  voyage  and 
the  sickness  and  toil  of  two  years  in  the  mines  ?  Was  it  for 
this  that  I  had  spoilt  forever  the  beauty  of  my  hands  and  the 
delicacy  of  my  complexion  ?  Had  I  stoou  day  after  day  in 
those  ice-cold  rivers,  like  a  man  with  his  feet  on  the  pole  and 
his  head  under  the  equator — had  I  swallowed  doses  innumer- 
able of  oil  and  laudanum,  of  blue  mass  and  quinine,  only  to 
feed  the  fishes  at  last  ?  If  I  had  got  nothing,  it  would  have 
been  less  matter  ;  but  as  it  was,  how  I  hated  the  ugly  shark 
who  would  gulp  me  at  a  single  mouthful,  the  richest  supper 
since  Cleopatra's  pearl.  I  got  up,  and  unrolling  myself  from 
my  blankets,  walked  forward  and  looked  down  the  hatch- 
way above  the  furnaces.  A  red  and  angry  glare  from  the 
crevices  around  the  doors  showed  a  mass  of  water  black  as 
pitch  rolling  and  swashing  with  the  motion  of  the  vessel 
within  a  foot  of  the  fires.  It  was  Phlegethon  shedding  its 
baleful  light  on  the  dark  and  melancholy  Styx.  A  group  of 
passengers  stood  leaning  against  the  iron  railing,  watching 
with  strange  interest  the  firemen  below  standing  knee  deep 
in  the  inky  flood,  and  still  plying  their  task  with  sullen  reso- 
lution. As  they  threw  open  the  clanging  doors,  we  caught 
glimpses  of  the  fires  burning  with  a  fierceness  of  purpose  that 
seemed  to  defy  the  ocean  to  put  it  out  ;  but  still  the  insidious 
element  crept  on,  and  we  already  heard  the  ominous  hiss  like 
the  skirmisiies  before  a  great  battle,  as  the  foremost  of  the 
assailants  dashed  against  the  bars  of  the  furnace. 

If  the  waters  prevailed,  as  they  were  sure  to  do  in  this 


AND   Leaden   Realities.  279 

unequal  contest,  our  only  hope  of  salvation  was  gone  ;  for  the 
pump  attached  to  the  engine,  though  sadly  out  of  order,  and 
able  to  work  but  about  half  the  time,  was  still  superior  in 
effective  service  to  the  united  strength  of  all  in  the  ship.  As 
long  as  that  could  be  kept  in  operation  there  was  no  danger 
of  the  leak  gaining  upon  us,  and  it  was  owing  simply  to  its 
having  partially  failed,  that  the  state  of  affairs  now  looked  so 
threatening.  One  of  the  passengers,  "a  darned  bluenose," 
as  he  was  styled  by  the  ungrateful  Yankees  whose  lives  he 
had  volunteered  to  save  at  the  risk  of  his  own,  had  ventured 
out  under  the  bowsprit  and  nailed  some  canvass  over  the 
principal  leak  ;  but  there  was  another  he  could  not  reach,  and 
the  situation  of  which  was  not  exactly  known.  One  declared 
it  was  under  the  engine — another,  with  equal  confidence, 
asserted  tliat  it  was  somewhere  about  the  bows.  It  was  novr 
discovered  that  the  ship  was  known  to  be  leaky  when  we 
sailed  ;  the  first  mate  had  said  that  they  had  been  obliged  to 
keep  the  pumps  going  even  while  she  lay  at  the  wharf — the 
engineer  confirmed  this  story,  and  added,  moreover,  that  the 
engine  was  in  an  equally  unsafe  condition.  It  had  in  some 
way  broken  loose  from  its  fastenings  and  threatened  to  knock 
a  hole  through  the  ship's  bottom,  but  by  tying  it  up  with 
ropes  they  were  enabled  to  maintain  a  sufficient  weight  of 
steam  to  keep  the  ship's  head  to  the  wind  ;  and  in  this  situ- 
ation we  lay  for  several  days  without  making  a  single  mile. 

Still  the  services  of  the  engine  were  indispensible  to  our 
safety,  and  it  was  necessary  under  such  a  pressing  emergency 
to  take  immediate  measures  for  its  relief.  Two  of  the  pas- 
sengers descended  into  the  hold  and  took  their  station  by  the 
side  of  the  firemen.  Others  were  ranged  at  convenient 
intervals  on  the  slender  iron  ladders  that  led  to  the  upper 
decks — a  large  number  of  buckets  were  provided,  and  the 
work  commenced.  The  undertaking  was  greatly  impeded  by 
the  rolling  and  pitching  of  the  ship  that  rendered  it  at  times 
extremely  difficult  to  maiutain  a  footing  upon  the  ladders,  and 


280  Golden    D  k  e  a  m  s 

now  and  thcu  threw  half  a  bucket  of  water,  that  had  nearly 
reached  the  top,  down  onto  the  heads  of  those  below. 

But  now  the  anxious  question  arose,  would  they  be  able 
to  lower  the  water  in  the  hold  or  even  to  prevent  its  rising 
higher.  For  a  long  time  the  scale  hung  in  doubtful  balance, 
but  at  last  the  cheerful  news  was  shouted  up  to  us  that  the 
\\  titer  was  lowered  about  an  inch.  It  was  now  suggested  to 
draw  the  supply  for  the  boilers  from  within  the  ship  instead 
of  taking  that  without.  The  pump  used  for  this  purpose  was 
accordingly  set  in  operation,  and  by  the  united  powers  of  men 
and  steam  all  fear  of  immediate  danger  was  at  length  removed. 
The  storm  had  spent  its  violence,  the  sea  became  smooth,  and 
ill  a  few  days  we  arrived  at  Acapulco,  where  the  Panama  had 
gone  in  just  before  us.  Like  her  we  will  also  improve  the 
opportunity,  and  gladly  escaping  from  these  boisterous  scenes 
of  alarm  and  confusion,  take  refuge  in  the  quiet  haven  of 
more  serene  and  peaceful  meditations.  Wars  and  battles, 
though  occupying  so  large  a  space  in  history,  are  after  all  far 
less  deserving  of  our  sober  study  than  the  more  domestic 
narrative  of  private  firesides  ;  and  I  trust  'the  reader  will  turn 
with  equal  satisfaction  from  storm  and  shipwreck  to  the 
individual  interests  of  our  little  community. 

I  take  it  for  granted  that  all  will  agree  with  me  in  con- 
sidering the  subject  on  which  we  are  about  entering,  of  para- 
mount importance  ;  and  this  conviction,  while  it  inflames  my 
desire,  at  the  same  time  heightens  my  sense  of  my  inability  to 
do  justice  to  a  question  of  such  universality  of  interest. 

The  clerk  of  whom  we  bought  our  tickets  was  a  remarkably 
handsome  man,  and  when  he  assured  us  with  an  air  of  sincerity 
an  angel  might  have  envied,  that  the  steerage  passengers 
would  have  the  same  fare  as  that  provided  for  the  cabin, 
though  in  a  little  different  shape,  I  was  simple  enough  to 
believe  that  it  was  at  least  one-half  true.  This  was  the  more 
inexcusal)le,  as  I  had  already  been  once  deceived  in  a  similar 
manner,  and  had  had  the  lesson,  one  would  suppose,  pretty 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  281 

effectually  ground  into  my  stomach  during  our  never-to-be- 
forgotten  voyage  in  the  Leucothea.  But  as  some  one,  I  think 
it  is  the  amiable  Pecksniff,  feelingly  observes,  it  is  my  nature 
to  be  deceived,  and  a  hundred  voyages  would  jDrobably  have 
had  no  more  effect.  However,  when  the  handsome  clerk  had 
received  our  money,  and  had  turned  us  over  to  the  tender 
mercies  of  a  captain  who  knew  nothing,  and  a  parcel  of  blacks 
who  cared  nothing  what  the  steerage  had  to  eat,  we  found 
that  the  agent,  who  was  probably  a  pleasant  fellow,  or  a 
philosopher,  had,  to  say  the  least,  indulged  in  a  figure  of 
speech  when  he  made  use  of  the  expression  quoted  above. 

Chemically  and  philosophically  he  was  undoubtedly  correct, 
and  a  chemist  or  a  philosopher  might  have  understood  him  ; 
but  a  common  man,  or  any  one  taking  his  words  in  their 
every  day  meaning,  would  have  been  wofuUy  deceived.  The 
cabin  fare  took  the  shape  of  roast  beef,  and  pork,  and  chickens 
— of  pies  and  puddings — of  soft  tack  and  butter — of  nuts  and 
fruit.  By  the  time  it  reached  the  steerage,  the  fresh  had 
become  salt — the  soft  tack  had  grown  hard  as  the  heart  of 
its  owners — the  puddings  had  degenerated  into  boiled  rice, 
sometimes  raw,  sometimes  burnt,  often  both  at  once — while 
the  pies  and  other  articles  of  the  dessert  were  not  there  at 
all,  either  in  their  own  shape  or  any  other. 

There  was  another  sense  however  in  which  the  agent,  who 
I  never  will  believe  wilfully  intended  to  deceive  us,  might  have 
expected  his  promise  to  be  interpreted.  All  these  various  lux- 
uries were  prepared  in  a  single  galley  half  sunk  below  the  level 
of  the  deck  and  covered  by  a  grating  and  an  open  skylight. 
Around  this  grating  the  steerage  passengers  were  permitted 
to  assemble,  and  snuff  up  as  much  of  the  fragrant  odours  as 
mixed  with  other  and  less  inviting  exhalations,  found  their  way 
into  the  upper  air.  Sometimes,  if  one  waited  long  enough 
and  humbled  himself  sufficiently,  one  of  the  black  cooks  would 
extend  to  him  graciously  the  royal  favour,  and  bestow  upon 
him  a  pickle  or  a  bit  of  bread,  or  even  leave  to  him  the  super- 


2S2  Golden    Dkeams 

fluity  of  his  own  repast.  lu  additiou  to  this  inestimable  privi- 
lege we  dwellers  in  the  middle  of  the  ship,  half  way  between 
the  aristocracy  of  the  cabin  and  the  democracy  of  the  forecas- 
tle, were  allowed  to  feast  our  eyes  on  the  savoury  messes  car- 
ried past  our  quarters  in  tin  pans  of  vast  circumference,  and 
even  to  look  on  at  a  respectful  distance  while  the  different 
watches  ate  and  drank  with  the  most  sublime  indifference. 
The  scene  constantly  reminded  me  of  a  huge  mastiff  gnawing 
a  bone,  while  a  troop  of  curs  and  puppies  walk  about  him, 
wistfully  eyeing  the  fragments  as  they  disappear  one  after 
another  in  his  capacious  jaws,  and  after  he  Iwis  finished  care- 
fully lick  up  every  particle  too  small  for  his  magnanimous 
appetite. 

But  it  would  be  necessary  to  descend  still  lower  in  the 
scale  of  creation  to  find  a  fit  illustration  of  the  manner  in 
which  our  meals  were  conducted.  Two  narrow  tables  were 
suspended  from  the  ceiling  in  the  upper  cabin,  capable  of  seat- 
ing about  seventy  persons.  As  there  were  nearly  three  hun- 
dred passengers,  of  course  only  one-fourth  could  be  accom- 
modated at  once,  and  the  tables  had  to  be  set  four  times  in 
succession  ;  so  that  each  meal  commonly  occupied  several 
hours.  Out  of  these  three  hundred  at  least  two  hundred  and 
fifty  were  possessed  with  an  insane  desire  to  sit  down  at  the 
first  table  ;  either  because  they  fancied  there  would  be  a 
greater  abundance,  or  from  that  abhorrence  of  being  last, 
which  has  come  to  be  considered  an  American  characteristic. 

Long  before  the  usual  hour,  a  little  knot  of  the  more  hun- 
gry, or  more  determined  sort,  had  collected  round  the  hatch 
opening  into  the  steerage.  At  the  same  time  various  symp- 
toms began  to  show  that  all  were  in  expectation  of  some  impor- 
tant event.  The  readers  shut  up  their  books  and  put  them 
into  their  pockets — the  card  players  swept  up  their  cards 
from  the  deck — the  talkers  stopjjed  talking  and  pricked  up 
their  ears — every  thing  foretold  the  impending  dinner.  The 
crowd  around  the  hatchwav  has  grown  larger  and  denser,  and 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  283 

only  waits  the  stewarcVs  signal  to  precipitate  itself  almost 
bodily  into  the  steerage  below.  Those  in  the  centre  sit  with 
tlifir  legs  dangling  down  the  hatch,  and  from  this  elevated 
position  eye  the  sluggish  movements  of  the  waiters  with  rav- 
enous impatience. 

"What  they  got  for  dinner  ?"  cries  some  unfortunate  on 
the  skirts  of  the  throng  vainly  striving  to  look  over  the 
shoulders  of  the  circle. 

"Roast  turkey  and  plum  pudding,"  answer  half  a  dozen 
voices,  "  don't  you  wish  you  could  get  some  ?''  and  this  well- 
worn  jest  never  fails  to  be  received  with  shouts  of  laughter. 
At  last  all  the  preparations  are  completed — the  step  ladder  is 
reared  against  the  deck,  and  in  an  instant  eighty  hungry 
bipeds  drop,  like  apples  from  a  tree  when  violently  shaken, 
down  into  the  steerage.  But  at  the  same  moment  a  second  par- 
ty, who  have  lain  all  the  while  perdu  in  their  berths,  suddenly 
emerge  from  their  hiding-places  and  appropriate  without  cere- 
mony all  the  seats  on  one  side  of  the  tables,  and  half  of  the 
eighty  are  obliged  to  return  grumbling  and  swearing  to  the 
deck. 

And  now  begins  a  scene  of  confusion  such  as  fortunately  is 
witnessed  nowhere  except  at  sea.  Half-a-dozen  hands  are  at 
once  stretched  out  for  the  salt  beef,  but  the  dish  is  of  tin  and 
will  bear  hard  pulling.  The  one  who  prevails  in  the  contest  cuts 
off  the  choicest  bit  for  himself,  and  pushes  the  dish  to  his  ne.xt 
neighbour.  "  Hand  along  them  pertaters'' — "pass  up  that 
bread'' — "here  waiter!  steward!  the  soup  is  all  gone" — 
"can't  help  it ;  it's  all  there  is" — "give  me  a  mug,  I  say" — 
"  what  the  d —  do  you  call  this  ?" — "  I  haven't  had  a  potato 
these  three  day.s" — "  faugh  !  the  rice  's  burnt  again" — "  that 
feller's  got  'em  all" — "  let  me  out  o'  this,  I  say" — such  are 
the  cries  that,  larded  with  a  plentiful  sprinkling  of  oaths,  go  to 
make  up  tlie  conversation  at  this  elegant  I'epast. 

But  luckily  it  is  of  no  long  duration  :  in  fifteen  or  twenty 
minutes  the  last  straggler  has  disappeared  up  the  hatch,  and 


284  G  0  L  n  K  N    Dreams 

the  tables  are  put  in  order  for  the  second  division.  The  ex- 
citement is  now  even  greater  than  before,  and  the  same  scenes 
as  those  last  described  are  repeated  in  a  still  more  aggravated 
form  on  each  successive  occasion.  The  last  comers  were 
sometimes  too  impatient  to  wait  till  the  dishes  conld  be 
washed,  and  filled  up  the  benches  as  fast  as  they  were  vacated 
by  their  predecessors.  Thus  the  same  jjlate  might  be  kept  in 
constant  service,  and  the  successive  strata  of  beef  and  mus- 
tard, rice  and  molasses,  that  had  accumulated  on  its  surface, 
would  aflford  a  very  accurate  index  of  the  number  of  times  it 
had  been  employed. 

To  obviate  as  far  as  possible  the  evils  arising  from  this 
state  of  confusion,  the  passengers  voluntarily  divided  into  four 
sections,  and  determined  by  lot  the  order  of  precedence.  This 
order  was  to  continue  until  we  reached  Acapulco,  when  it  was 
to  be  reversed,  the  first  division  becoming  last,  and  the  last 
first.  This  arrangement,  however,  was  never  carried  into 
efi"ect,  inasmuch  as  the  first  and  second  divisions  suddenly  dis- 
covered that  it  would  not  be  for  their  advantage  to  fulfil  the 
contract  ;  and  accordingly  all  things  returned  to  their  original 
chaos. 

In  hopes  of  obtaining  a  little  improvement  in  our  bill  of 
fare  we  also  agreed  to  have  but  two  meals  a  day,  but  this 
hope  proving  utterly  fallacious,  this  measure  became  extremely 
niujojiular,  and  it  was  impossible  to  find  a  single  passenger 
who  would  allow  that  he  had  voted  in  its  favour.  After 
various  remonstrances  made  to  the  captain  and  other  officers 
l)y  different  individuals,  a  mass  meeting  was  held  and  a  com- 
mittee of  three  appointed  to  state  our  grievances  to  the  cap- 
tain and  solicit  his  interference.  The  great  man  received 
them  graciously,  and  promised  after  dinner  to  visit  tlie  steerage 
in  person.  Accordingly  about  the  middle  of  the  aftei'noon  he 
was  seen  advancing  towards  our  quarters.  Attended  by  an 
eager  crowd  of  followers  he  descended  the  ladder,  and  looked 
curiously  round  on  the  novel  and  interesting  spectacle.     A 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  285 

plate  was  presented  to  him  coutaiuing  a  portion  of  hot  water 
with  a  little  grease  floating  on  the  surface,  and  dignified  by 
tlie  name  of  sonp.  With  the  flavour  of  roast  chicken  and 
pluin  pudding  yet  lingering  about  his  palate  it  was  hardly  to 
be  expected  that  he  should  find  such  a  compound  much  to  his 
liking  ;  but  it  was  no  slight  proof  of  condescension  even  to 
taste  it  at  all,  and  manifested  a  freedom  from  vulgar  prejudice 
and  a  willingness  to  be  convinced  worthy  of  the  highest  praise. 

As  many  of  the  passengers  as  could  find  standing  room 
had  followed  the  captain  down  the  ladder,  and  now  stood 
peeping  over  each  other's  shoulders  and  watching  his  move- 
ments in  respectful  silence.  The  rest  gathered  round  the 
hatch  on  deck,  and  as  they  could  not  see  what  was  going  on 
one  of  their  number  would  from  time  to  time  inquire  of  those 
below,  and  then  repeat  the  answer  for  the  benefit  of  his  com- 
panions. 

"  What's  the  cap'n  doing  ?"  says  the  telegraph  on  deck. 

"  He's  lookin'  round,"  returns  the  other  in  a  loud  whisper. 

"  An'  what's  he  doing  now?" 

"  He's  tastin'  the  soup." 

"  An'  what  does  he  say  ?" 

"  He  says  it's  first  rate  ;"  and  at  this  a  low  murmur  of 
disapprobation  runs  through  the  crowd.  "  Hang  his  old 
pictur  !  I  wish  he  had  to  eat  it,"  cries  one,  shrugging  his 
shoulders. 

"  It's  just  what  I  expected,"  mutters  another  who  looks  as 
if  he  had  a  fancy  to  play  the  part  of  Catiline.  "  I  tell  you 
nothing  '11  ever  do  any  good  till  we  take  the  law  into  our 
own  hands." 

All  those  within  hearing  of  these  daring  words  instantly 
turn  their  eyes  towards  the  speaker,  some  with  sympathetic 
admiration,  others  to  take  his  measure  and  see  if  his  bearing 
corresponds  with  his  utterance  ;  while  he,  conscious  of  the 
scrutiny,  straightens  himself  up  and  stares  disdainfully  into  va- 
cancy.    Half-a-dozen  of  the  same  kidney  then  work  their  way 


2S6  Golden    Dreams 

np  to  him,  and  they  all  begin  in  a  low  tone  to  discuss  the  rea- 
sons why  they  should  deprive  the  captain  of  his  command,  and, 
if  he  resisted,  put  him  in  irons  or  even  tow  him  overboard  for 
a  mile  or  two.  All  seem  greatly  pleased  with  this  last  sug- 
gestion, for  the  idea  of  a  steamboat  captain  bobbing  up  and 
down  at  the  end  of  a  long  rope,  and  bubljling  out  his  cries 
for  help,  and  promises  of  amendment  is,  it  must  be  confessed, 
very  facetious  and  amusing.  These  arch  conspirators  thus 
mutually  inflamed  their  noble  rage,  and  proved  so  conclusively 
that  they  ought  to  take  command  of  the  ship,  and  the  ease 
with  which  it  could  be  done,  that  I  never  exactly  understood 
why  they  didn't  do  it. 

Captain  W.  having  finished  his  inspection  again  mounted 
the  ladder,  and  unconscious  of  the  dangers  by  which  he  was 
surrounded  walked  calmly  through  the  crowd  that  opened  to 
give  a  passage.  I  expected  at  every  step  to  see  rude  hands 
laid  on  his  collar,  and  a  revolver  at  each  ear  ;  but  at  this 
unlucky  moment  every  one  seemed  seized  with  a  sudden  attack 
of  modesty  that  disposed  him  to  remain  in  the  background 
and  yield  the  post  of  honour  to  others.  If  it  had  not  been  for 
this  unfortunate  coincidence  I  have  no  doubt  I  should  have 
been  gratified  by  witnessing  the  entertaining  spectacle  sug- 
gested above  ;  for  the  captain,  having  stopped  but  a  moment 
at  the  galley  to  give  some  orders  to  the  cooks,  had  no  sooner 
passed  the  mainmast  than  his  enemies  all  at  once  regained 
their  usual  confidence,  and  shook  their  fists  at  him  behind  his 
back  with  most  alarming  ferocity. 

The  result  of  this  visit  was  the  next  day  visible  in  a  non- 
descript dish,  consisting  of  junks  of  fresh  pork  stewed  with 
corresponding  junks  of  dough,  and  a  large  quantity  of  pota- 
toes ;  after  which  favourable  symptom  there  was  a  relapse  of 
our  old  complaint. 

Under  these  circumstances  an  invitation  we  received  to 
dine  with  a  select  party  in  the  lower  steerage  was  naturally 
accepted  with  the  same  eagerness  with  which  a  starving  author 


AND    L  E  A  D  K  s    Realities.  287 

in  those  days  when  starving  was  the  fashion  would  have  hur- 
ried to  dine  with  a  noble  lord.  One  of  our  entertainers  had 
already  made  my  mouth  water  by  the  rapturous  terms  in 
which  he  described  the  approaching  banquet,  and  I  waited 
impatiently  for  the  appointed  hour  of  four.  He  and  his  com- 
panions had  in  some  way  propitiated  the  sooty  functionaries 
of  the  cabin,  either  by  flattery  or  Panama  brandy,  and  had 
thus  succeeded  in  accumulating  the  materials  for  a  repast  of 
the  most  elegant  and  recherche  description.  It  would  be  in 
vain,  however,  to  attempt  to  give  a  full  and  i^articular  ac- 
count ;  it  will  be  sufficient  to  indicate  to  the  reader  a  few  of 
the  principal  dishes,  leaving  to  his  imagination  the  same  work 
that  we  left  to  our  own,  that  of  supplying  the  various  acces- 
sories. 

The  first  course  consisted  of  beef,  pork,  and  chicken,  roast, 
boiled,  and  stewed,  served  up  with  a  soup  of  the  most  varied 
and  exquisite  flavour.  There  was  a  scanty  allowance  of  soft 
bread,  and  a  plentiful  supply  of  fresh  biscuit  six  months  old. 
There  were  potatoes  in  abundauce,  onions  enough  to  smell  of, 
and  if  spice  were  wanting,-  salt  and  pepper  were  to  be  had  for 
the  asking. 

Having  thus  set  out  my  first  course,  I  fancy  the  reader 
picturing  to  his  mind's  eye  a  large  table  groaning  under  the 
weight  of  a  dozen  or  twenty  dishes,  and  all  the  useless  addi- 
tions of  an  unnatural  and  sickly  civilization.  But  this  would 
be  doing  gross  injustice  to  a  feast  whose  most  striking  charac- 
teristic was  a  grand  and  massive  simplicity.  The  whole  of  the 
luxuries  I  have  enumerated  were  comprised  in  a  single  dish — -a 
round  tin  pan  of  moderate  circumference,  resting  on  the  middle 
of  a  sailor's  chest  belonging  to  our  host.  If  any  one  should  cavil 
at  this  explanation  as  being  altogether  monstrous  and  incred- 
ible, I  would  refer  him  for  an  illustration  to  the  tent  of  the 
fairy  Peribanon,  which  a  sea-pie  as  our  dish  was  denominated, 
doth  most  closely  resemble  :  inasmuch  as  it  may,  and  some- 
times doth,  consist  of  but  a  few  articles,  and  at  others  affords 


2SS  Golden    Dreams 

comfortable  lodgings  to  a  mighty  host.  But  certain  it  is  that 
a  naturalist,  on  examining  the  various  bones  that  were  ex- 
humed from  the  bowels  of  our  pasty,  would  have  been  sadly 
puzzled  to  determine  the  animal  to  which  it  had  belonged,  and 
would  probably  have  astonished  the  world  with  a  marvellous 
account  of  some  prodigious  monster  belonging  neither  to  the 
Saurians  nor  Ophidians,  but  more  strange  than  either,  with 
the  head  of  a  swine,  the  liver  of  an  ox,  and  the  legs  and  giz- 
zard of  a  bird. 

Our  second  course  consisted  of  oranges  ;  the  third  varied 
indefinitely  according  to  the  imaginative  powers  of  the  guests. 
A  coffeepot  two-thirds  full  of  brandy,  sugar,  and  water,  sap- 
plied  the  never-failing  accompaniment.  As  chairs  were  want- 
ing, as  well  as  a  place  to  put  them,  we  sat  on  trunks  and 
boxes,  or  insinuated  as  large  a  portion  of  our  persons  as  was 
convenient  into  the  berths  on  either  side  ;  a  very  favourable 
position  for  the  eating  of  soup,  as  it  brings  the  head  almost 
down  to  the  knees,  and  thus  prevents  those  slips  between  the 
cup  and  the  lip  that  are  nowhere  else  so  many  as  at  sea.  On 
the  strength  of  this  dinner  I  went  as  far  as  Acapulco  ;  when, 
like  that  wary  old  campaigner,  Sir  Dugald  Dalgetty,  we  laid 
in  a  store  of  provant  sufificient  to  last  for  several  days.  The 
various  hotels  at  this  place.  The  United  States,  The  American 
House,  and  others  with  less  hospitable  names,  were  at  once 
invaded  by  a  hungry  swarm,  and  the  eggs,  the  chickens,  the 
bread  and  milk  that  had  been  accumulating  since  the  depart- 
ure of  the  last  steamer,  were  stowed  away  with  a  celerity  that 
excited  the  mingled  delight  and  consternation  of  our  enter- 
tainers.    But  we  must  leave  this  place  for  another  chapter. 


AND    Leaukn    Realities.  289 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE  little  town  and  harbour  of  Acapulco  resemble  a  wash- 
bowl with  a  cup  full  of  water  in  the  bottom.  On  round- 
ing the  promontory  that  protected  the  entrance  to  the  basin, 
we  found  ourselves  in  the  arena  of  a  vast  amphitheatre  formed 
by  a  range  of  lofty  hills  that  shut  us  out  on  every  side  from 
the  world  we  had  left.  At  the  foot  of  these  hills,  opposite  the 
entrance,  was  a  narrow  strip  of  level  gi'ound  affording  room 
for  a  miniature  city.  Here  are  the  coal  depots  of  the  Pacific 
Company,  and  here,  on  the  arrival  of  every  steamer,  a  brisk 
trade  is  carried  on  in  eggs  and  poultry,  bananas,  oranges,  and 
limes.  I  have  already  referred  to  the  feats  of  gastronomy 
performed  at  our  first  landing.  Though  it  was  yet  early  in 
the  morning,  our  first  impulse,  after  a  warm  greeting  between 
us  and  our  mother  earth,  was  to  seek  a  convenient  house  of 
entertainment,  where  for  the  moderate  charge  of  fifty  cents 
we  might  eat  an  unUmited  quantity  of  eggs  and  chicken. 

As  the  American  House  seemed  already  full,  we  bent  our 
steps  towards  the  United  States,  where  we  were  fortunate 
enough  to  secure  a  seat  at  the  first  table.  For  a  few  minutes 
nothing  was  heard  but  the  cracking  of  eggshells,  the  mumbling 
of  chicken  bones,  the  sipping  of  coffee,  interrupted  by  various 
inexpressible  ejaculations  of  delight ;  but  as  one  dish  was 
emptied  after  another  there  arose  a  strange  Babel  of  full- 
grown  English  and  baby  Spanish. 

"  Here  muchacho  ! — muchacho  !  eggs — wavers — mas  wa- 
vers— mas  chickeen — cafe — mas  milk — darn  your  eyes,  don't 
13 


290  Golden    Dkeams 

you  know  your  owu  language,  see  here  ;"  aud  thus,  words 
failing,  they  had  recourse  to  sigiis.  But  after  we  had  eaten 
a  couple  of  chickens  s>.nd  nearly  a  dozen  eggs  apiece,  with  a 
corrc'spouding  supply  of  bread  aud  coffee,  neither  words  nor 
signs  were  any  longer  intelligible,  and  all  our  eloquence  pro- 
duced no  other  reply  than  the  simple  monosyllables,  "  no  mas," 
uv  tlie  more  mysterious  "poco  tiempo."  "Poker  temper," 
cried  a  hungry  voyager,  ''  I've  had  poker  temper  long  enough, 
I  tell  you,  DOW  I  want  some  chicken."  "  Poco  tiempo,"  re- 
turned the  imperturbable  host,  and  finishing  our  dinner  with 
a  hearty  laugh,  wc  sallied  forth  into  the  street. 

Acapulco,  in  spite  of  its  picturesque  location,  presents  little 
that  is  attractive.  The  houses,  though  built  of  stone,  appear 
mean  and  dilapidated,  half  way  Ijetween  a  stable  aud  a  jail. 
To  ray  eye,  at  least,  the  taugled,  unbroken  foliage  of  the  tropics 
is  slovenly  and  monotonous  compared  with  the  shaven  fields 
and  trim  forests  of  ]S'ew  England.  I  missed  that  pleasant 
gi'een  that  carpets  all  but  our  most  barren  hills.  Nothing 
else,  not  even  the  architectural  beauty  of  the  cocoa  palm  with 
the  tinkling  music  that  the  softest  breeze  steals  from  its  ivory 
leaves,  can  compensate  for  the  nakedness  of  the  soil.  It  re- 
minds one  of  an  Indian  chief,  terrible  in  his  war  paint  and 
graceful  vrith  his  nodding  plumes,  but  otherwise  as  naked  as 
the  day  he  was  born. 

But  my  curiosity  was  abundantly  gratified  in  studying  the 
manners  and  habits  of  the  people.  They  arc  so  backward  in 
all  the  arts  of  civilization  that  one  cannot  escape  the  impres- 
sion that  they  are  a  degenerate  race.  It  seems  impossible 
that  they  should  have  built  the  houses  they  now  occupy,  and 
indeed,  in  all  the  towns  through  which  we  passed  inhabited 
by  a  race  of  Spanish  origin,  I  do  not  remember  to  have  seen 
a  single  building  in  progress  of  erection  or  which  did  not  seem 
to  have  been  standing  at  least  half  a  century.  Every  day  a 
market  was  held  in  the  open  air  on  one  side  of  tlie  plaza, 
where,  besides  the  articles  already  mentioned,  there  were  ex- 


AND   Leaden    Rkalities.  291 

posed  for  sale  fresh  beef  cut  up  iuto  long  strips,  or  rather 
rags,  several  kinds  of  vegetables,  cheese,  and  tortillas. 

Most  of  the  trafficking  was  here  done  by  women — they  sat 
squat  on  the  ground  with  thin  rude  baskets  beside  them — 
they  used  cakes  of  soap  for  the  smaller  currency,  and  frag- 
ments of  stones  for  weights,  breaking  them  in  pieces  till  they 
balanced  the  article  they  were  selling,  and  then,  by  some  pro- 
cess of  arithmetic  I  could  not  comprehend,  arriving  at  the 
correct  amount. 

Kear  the  sea-shore  there  was  a  fruit  market  held  under 
the  shade  of  some  lofty  trees.  Here  women  and  boys  seated 
behind  rude  tables  kept  up  an  incessant  cry  to  attract  the 
attention  of  some  loitering  Californiau,  "  Comprar  oranges  ? 
comprar  Icmona  ?  picayune  a  glass." 

"  Me  no  comprar — me  no  quiere,"  returns  the  other,  taking 
it  for  granted,  with  delightful  absurdity,  that  Mexicans  as  well 
as  babies  can  understand  bad  English  more  readily  than  good, 
"me  no  comprar  mas  ;  me  havvy  all  me  wishy,  here,"  strok- 
ing his  stomach  with  most  expressive  complacency. 

While  we  thus  sauntered  through  the  streets  engaged  in 
the  innocent  and  laudalile  occupation  of  sucking  oranges  and 
eating  what  seemed  to  be  withered  slices  of  brown  bread,  but 
was  really  cocoanut  and  sugar,  another  part  of  our  fellow- 
passengers  were  much  more  gravely  employed.  A  meeting 
was  held  on  the  plaza,  sundry  speeches  were  made  full  of  the 
most  scorching  sarcasm,  and  resolutions  passed  denouncing 
the  conduct  of  the  Company  in  the  strongest  terms.  A  col- 
lection was  taken  up  for  the  purpose  of  instituting  legal  pro- 
ceedings against  the  CaroUna,  and  having  her  condemned  as 
unseaworthy.  Dark  hints  were  given  of  burning  her  before 
she  could  leave  the  port.  We  were  to  get  home  from  Aca- 
pulco  the  best  way  we  could,  and  afterwards  hold  the  Com- 
pany responsible  for  all  loss  incurred  by  our  detention. 

It  seemed  for  a  time  as  if  these  agitators  would  succeed  in 
accomplishmg  their  purpose.     A  broken-down  steamship  be- 


292  Golden    Dreams 

longing  to  the  American  consul  was  lying  in  the  harbour,  and 
it  was  natural  to  suppose  that  he  would  do  all  in  his  power 
to  detain  the  Caroliua,  in  order  to  obtain  passengers  for  his 
own  vessel.  The  first  step  was  to  order  a  survey  to  be  made 
of  the  ship.  The  survey  was  made  as  a  mere  matter  of  form 
by  three  dignified  officials  within  the  steamer,  and  by  as  many 
naked  Indians  Avithout.  The  divers,  who  seemed  to  under- 
stand their  business  much  better  than  their  superiors,  reported 
that  two  strips  of  copper  had  been  detached  from  the  ship's 
bottom,  and  the  seams  were  also  open,  thus  causing  the  leak 
which  had  occasioned  us  so  much  uneasiness.  On  making 
this  discovery  the  authorities  delayed  giving  us  a  permit  to 
go  to  sea,  and  the  commandant  of  the  fort  above  the  town 
received  orders  to  blow  us  out  of  water  if  we  attempted  to 
force  a  passage.  Our  captain  declared  he  would  go  to  sea  in 
spite  of  them.  The  passengers  entered  into  the  dispute  with 
ardour,  and  began  to  furbish  up  their  revolvers  and  argue  the 
feasibility  of  carrying  the  citadel  by  a  coui>de-main. 

In  this  state  of  affairs,  when  the  doughty  little  town  of 
Acapuko  and  the  spiteful  little  steamer  Carolina  seemed  about 
to  come  to  loggerheads  with  each  other,  a  compromise  was 
proposed  that  satisfied  the  dignity  of  both  the  contending 
parties,  and  prevented  that  dreadful  bloodshed  that  must 
otherwise  have  inevitably  followed.  The  Indiajis,  who  had 
discovered  the  leak,  were  commissioned  to  stop  it.  For  this 
purjiose  two  strips  of  copper  were  provided  to  take  the  place 
of  tliose  that  were  lost,  and  lowered  down  to  t!ie  divers,  who 
jistantly  suuk  with  them  beneath'  the  surface,  the  white  soles 
of  their  fett  glanc'.ng  cur'.ously  amid  the  dark  water.  What 
they  d!d  with  tlie  copper  afterwards  I  cannot  say.  It  did  not 
r!se  again  to  the  surface.  Bat  whether  they  really  succeeded 
in  na  ling  it  on  to  its  proper  place,  or  whether  it  is  now  quietly 
reposing  in  the  soft  mud  at  the  bottom  of  the  little  harbour, 
is  a  question  about  which  I  must  decliue  giving  an  opinion. 

This  arrangement,  however,   had  the  desired  efiFect ;  it 


AXD    Leaden    R  e.\  lit  i  ;.-^ .  293 

healed  the  breach,  if  it  did  not  stop  the  leak.  Our  captain 
received  his  permit,  and  in  a  few  hours  we  were  ready  for  sea. 
About  one  hundred  of  our  company  remained  behiud,  unwill- 
ing to  risk  their  lives  further  in  the  Carolina.  Part  of  them 
went  across  the  country  on  mules  to  the  city  of  Mexico,  and 
thence  by  wagons  to  Yera  Cruz,  and  the  remainder  took  pas- 
sage in  the  worn-out  steamer  belonging  to  the  consul,  thus 
jumping  out  of  the  frying-pan  into  the  fire.  If  any  one  won- 
ders that  we  did  not  all  follow  the  example  of  the  first,  an 
explanation  is  easily  given.  The  land  journey  to  Yera  Cruz 
was  long  and  toilsome — the  rivers  were  already  swollen  by 
the  winter  rains,  and  it  was  doubtful  if  we  should  succeed  in 
crossing  them  ;  and  after  reaching  that  city  we  might  still 
have  to  wait  a  long  time  before  we  could  obtain  a  passage  to 
any  port  in  the  United  States.  Besides,  the  chief-engineer 
thought  he  had  now  succeeded  in  repairing  the  engine,  so 
that  we  should  have  no  further  trouble  on  that  score;  but, 
more  than  all,  the  sun  shone  brightly,  the  touch  of  the  earth 
had  given  us  all  new  strength  and  spirits,  and  we  no  longer 
retained  any  very  lively  apprehensions  of  the  dangers  we  had 
so  recently  encountered. 

Behold  us,  then,  four  days  after  we  entered  the  harbour  of 
Acapulco,  once  more  stealing  out  to  sea.  The  caution  with 
which  we  moved  soon  convinced  us  that,  whatever  repairs  had 
been  made'during  our  stay,  the  engine  was  still  in  a  very  pre- 
carious condition.  Slowly  and  painfully,  like  one  just  recov- 
ering from  sickness,  we  crept  along  the  smooth  surface  of  the 
Pacific.  We  watched  with  the  most  intense  solicitude  all  the 
signs  of  the  weather,  fearing  lest  some  storm  hovering  near 
should  spy  us  out  and  swoop  down  upon  our  feeble  craft. 
What  we  feared  was  at  length  partially  accomphshed.  A 
storm  that  swept  across  the  ocean  many  miles  from  our 
course  just  brushed  us,  in  passing,  with  its  cloud-broad  wings. 
The  efteet  of  this  trifling  blow  showed  us  what  we  should 
have  had  to  expect  if  we  had  encountered  the  main  body  of 


294  Golden    Dueams 

the  tempest.  The  leak  gained  upou  us  with  frightful  rapid- 
ity, aud  we  were  obliged  once  more  to  have  recourse  to  the 
biiokets.  We  divided  into  several  compaaies,  that  succeeded 
each  other  in  this  fatiguing  labour,  and  were  tiius  enabled  to 
continue  at  work  nearly  the  whole  night.  About  three  in  the 
morning  I  left  my  station  ou  the  ladder  for  the  last  time,  my 
clothes  completely  saturated  with  coal  and  water,  and  alto- 
gether my  appearance  so  deplorable  that  a  decent  chimney- 
sweep would  have  been  ashamed  to  be  seen  in  my  society. 
But  the  heat  of  the  smoke-pipe  round  which  I  huddled  soon 
dried  my  clothes,  and  as  to  my  appearance,  I  consoled  myself 
with  the  reflection  that,  bad  as  it  was,  our  situation  was  ten 
tunes  worse. 

The  result  of  this  night's  experience  was  to  induce  Captain 
W.  to  give  up  his  design  of  reaeliing  Panama,  and  turn  the 
ship's  head  towards  Realejo.  The  passengers  had  already 
strongly  urged  this  change,  bat,  with  that  jealousy  natural  to 
sea-captaiiis  and  cookmaids,  he  had  hitherto  preserved  the 
most  impenetrable  mystery  as  to  his  intentions. 

Having  after  some  difficulty  found  the  entrance,  we  sailed 
up  the  river  about  a  mile,  and  made  the  ship  fast  at  a  wharf 
where  the  steamers  of  Yanderbilt's  line  take  on  board  their 
coal,  and  we  were  now  at  liberty  to  take  a  view  of  the  sur- 
rounding country. 

The  town  of  Realejo  was  eight  miles  further  up  the  river, 
and  the  only  buildings  near  the  vrharf  were  two  or  three  mis- 
eralile  shanties  inhabited  by  an  old  Indian  and  half  a  dozen 
melancholy  fowl.  On  the  opposite  side  of  tlie  river,  or  per- 
haps I  should  rather  say  arm  of  the  sea,  here  about  a  mile  in 
width,  a  single  house  was  visible  i)eeping  through  the  snarled 
and  matted  forest.  An  American  bark  and  brig  lay  dozi*g 
over  their  anchors  half  a  mile  from  our  s'lip,  seeming,  so  thick 
vras  the  silence  in  which  tliey  were  encrusted,  to  be  stuck  f:ust 
in  that  enchanted  sea,  like  flies  in  a  hogshead  of  molasses. 

With  these  exceptions  every  thing  still  remained  in  appa- 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  295 

rently  the  same  state  as  when,  six  thousand  years  before,  eve- 
ning; and  morning  were  the  fifth  day.  The  "  great  horologe 
divine"  of  this  lower  creation  v^'as  all  complete — there  were 
tlie  springs,  the  weights,  the  wheels,  but  the  maker's  fingers 
had  not  yet  put  them  in  motion,  and  they  still  seemed  waiting 
for  that  powerful  touch.  It  was  almost  like  sacrilege  to  ven- 
ture into  those  sublimely  silent  waters,  and  arouse  them  from 
their  long  slumbers  by  our  noisy  and  impertinent  life. 

The  sea  here  seemed  to  have  gained  upon  the  land — the 
ti'ces  stood  like  the  herds  on  a  sultry  summer's  afternoon 
Jaiee  deep  in  the  cooling  flood.  Beneath  the  low  arching  roof 
tiie  sliadows  lay  thickly  woven  and  felted  together.  Birds  of 
unknown  plumage  glided  along  the  glassy  pavement,  among 
the  slender  stems,  or  unfolded  their  crimson  and  gold  to  the 
sun  as  they  floated  carelessly  over  our  heads.  Each  little 
leaf  hung  silent  on  its  perch — there  was  not  even  that  whis- 
pering hum  that,  like  the  drone  of  a  beehive  or  a  country  school- 
house,  is  forever  heard  from  a  waking  forest. 

But  suddenly  an  almost  imperceptible  ripple  came  creep- 
ing round  a  distant  headland,  and  the  next  moment  a  rude 
canoe  shot  out  into  the  river.  Others  continually  made  their 
appearance  in  different  directions,  and  in  a  few  hours  fifteen 
or  twenty  were  drawn  up  on  the  beach.  They  contained 
large  baskets  of  eggs,  oranges  of  a  finer  flavour  thstn  any  we 
had  yet  tasted,  and  a  strange  fruit  resembling  the  quince  in 
size  and  shape,  but  as  yellow  and  almost  as  tasteless  as  a 
pumpkin.  Parrots,  macaws,  and  paroquets  were  also  offered 
for  sale,  and  some  of  them,  we  were  told,  talked  the  purest 
Castilian,  but  no  one  seemed  disposed  to  try  that  method  of 
instruction. 

Having  satiated  our  curiosity  on  the  novel  scenery  around 
us,  the  question  arose  whether  we  should  remain  in  the  ship 
during  her  hazardous  voyage  to  Panama,  or  tempt  the  more 
micertain  difficulties  of  a  journey  through  Central  America. 
A  party  that  had  gone  up  to  Realejo  to  make  inquiries,  hav- 


29G  Golden    Dreams 

ing  brought  back  a  favourable  report,  the  greater  part  of  the 
passeugers  abandoned  the  ship  without  reluctance.  It  was 
only  at  the  last  moment,  however,  that  we  could  make  up  our 
minds  to  follow  their  exampl.'.  The  brief  twilight  of  the 
equator  was  already  closing  around  us  when  we  took  our 
seats  in  the  only  remaining  canoe  and  pushed  off  from  the  ship 
in  company  with  wliich  we  had  braved  so  many  perils.  AVe 
crossed  and  recrossed  the  river  several  times  to  avoid  the  cur- 
rents aud  shallows  ;  sometimes  we  were  in  the  middle  of  the 
stream,  and  again  we  glided  like  a  shadow  beneath  the  over- 
hanging branches.  It  was  the  hour  of  vespers,  and  presently 
our  boatmen,  an  Indian  with  his  wife  and  daughter  gaily 
dressed  in  their  Sunday  atth-e,  began  chanting  in  a  low  and 
rather  plaintive  tone  the  Evening  Song  to  the  Virgin.  As  the 
river  grew  narrower  the  trees  on  either  hand  bent  their  heads 
in  listening  silence.  Closing  our  eyes,  we  seemed  to  be  float- 
ing onward,  as  in  a  dream,  independent  of  human  agency,  still 
farther  aud  farther  into  the  heart  of  a  boundless,  trackless 
forest.  It  was  a  dream  to  last  forever,  but  suddenly  the  canoe 
struck  with  a  wide-awake  jar  against  the  wharf  at  Realejo. 
Several  huge  canoes,  as  big  as  a  railroad  car  aud  each  dug  out 
of  a  single  mahogany,  lay  moored  in  the  stream.  Scrambling 
over  two  or  three  smaller  ones  that  lay  by  our  side,  we 
mounted  the  wharf  and  looked  round  for  the  city.  We  could 
discover  nothing  in  the  darkness  but  half  a  dozen  ill-looking 
natives,  one  of  whom  now  came  forward  and  offered  with  a 
vast  deal  of  gesticulation  to  conduct  us  to  a  hotel  where  there 
were  muchos  Americanos.  Taking  our  trunk  on  his  shoulders 
he  led  the  way  and  we  followed  in  silence.  A  short  walk 
through  streets  silent  as  churchyard  paths,  and  lined  with 
doorless,  windowless  houses,  brought  us  into  a  rather  more 
cheerful  neighbourhood,  and  to  a  hotel  filled  indeed  with 
mucho  Americano.  All  were  busy  in  making  arrangements 
for  their  journey,  and  a  few  rapid  inquiries  soon  gave  us  all 
the  needed  information. 


AND   Leaden    Realities.  297 

A  contract  had  already  been  made  with  several  -wealthy 
proprietors  to  convey  us  across  the  country,  one  hundred  and 
lifty  miles,  to  Granada  on  Lake  Nicaragua,  where  we  should 
proceed  ]>y  water  to  San  Juan.  Carts,  drawn  by  oxen  and 
capable  of  containing  six  persons,  were  to  be  provided  for  the 
moderate  charge  of  eight  dollars  apiece. 

The  most  prominent  member  of  our  little  cartful  was  a 
sturdy  buckeye  blacksmith  of  the  most  royal  generosity  and 
good  nature.  But  he  never  seemed  to  know  when  he  was 
conferring  a  favour,  and  hence  it  lost  much  of  its  effect  from 
the  want  of  that  accompanying  smile  and  unconscious  soften- 
ing of  the  voice  that  so  often  please  more  than  the  gift  itself. 
His  liair  and  eyebrows  were  whitey  brown,  his  features  showed 
even  in  their  coarseness  his  frank  and  dashing  temper— and 
the  words  came  sputtering  out  of  his  mouth  like  ale  out  of  a 
bottle. 

His  companion,  a  quiet,  smoothfaced  lad  from  Wisconsin, 
who  was  wonderfully  expert  in  the  use  of  the  rifle,  had  to  my 
knowledge  no  other  name  than  Si. 

Texas,  as  we  styled  the  third  of  our  party,  was  an  odd 
mixture  of  shrewdness  and  simplicity.  He  had  a  thousand 
oddities,  the  fancies  of  a  young  girl,  the  v,-hims  of  an  old 
bachelor,  and  the  greenness — I  use  it  for  want  of  a  better 
word — of  a  Southern  plantation.  We  all  made  him  our  butt ; 
he  knew  it  and  enjoyed  it,  for  he  knew  too  tliat  he  could  put 
an  end  to  it  whenever  he  would. 

Monday  morning,  the  head  of  our  train  began  its  march 
out  of  the  city,  and  the  rest  followed  at  long  intervals.  There 
were  in  all  about  forty  carts,  containing  nearly  two  hundred 
au'l  fifty  passengers,— and,  as  we  are  now  fairly  under  way,  I 
will  take  the  opportunity  to  give  a  description  of  one  of  these 
ingenious  vehicles.  The  body  of  the  cart,  which  was  made  of 
mahogany,  was  about  seven  feet  in  length  and  three  and  a 
half  in  width.  Over  it  was  erected  a  rude  framework  of  slen- 
der sticks  resembling  the  osier,  and  covei'ed  with  raw  hides  to 
13* 


298  Gold  EX   Dreams 

keep  off  the  sua  aud  rain.  The  wheels  were  formed  of  solid 
pieces  of  mahogany  about  four  feet  in  diameter  and  six  inches 
thick,  with  stout  projections  at  the  hub  ;  and  as  they  fitted 
very  loosely  to  the  axle,  the  whole  fabric  moved  forward  with 
that  roUiujr,  sidelong  gait  peculiar  to  sailors  and  elephants. 
Four  oxen  were  j-oked  to  this  rude  contrivance  in  the  manner 
common  I  believe  to  all  Spanish  countries.  A  straight  piece 
of  wood  about  four  inches  square,  slightly  hollov.ed  at  the 
ends  to  fit  the  heads  of  the  oxen,  was  bound  firmly  to  their 
horns  by  long  strips  of  hide.  This  yoke  is  much  lighter  and 
simpler  than  our  own,  but  more  time  is  required  to  make  it 
secure,  and  its  position  on  the  head  would  probably  be  unfa- 
vourable to  drawing  heavy  loads. 

With  this  description  of  our  equipage,  the  reader  will  be 
curious  to  kuow  how  seven  persons  could  find  room  in  it.  If 
he  could  have  taken  a  peep  in  at  the  back  of  the  cart,  he 
would  have  seen  the  hombre,  as  we  styled  our  driver,  and  the 
brother  of  the  author  elevated  in  front  on  a  trunk  which  had 
accompanied  us  to  the  mines  and  still  clung  to  us  in  all  our 
wanderings.  In  the  interior  he  would  have  discovered  the 
profiles  of  Ohio,  Texas,  and  Xew  York,  who  sat  crosswise  on 
the  bottom  with  their  backs  against  one  side,  their  feet 
against  the  other,  and  presented  a  lively  resemblance  to  the 
letter  C.  As  there  was  not  room  enough  remain-ing  to  accom- 
modate us  in  the  same  way,  Si  and  mj-self  were  obliged  to  sit 
with  our  superfluous  legs  dangling  behind.  The  obvious  ad- 
vantages of  our  position  in  enabling  us  to  see  so  much  more 
of  what  was  passing  than  those  within  were  counterbalanced 
by  equal  inconveniences.  A  fifth  ox,  that  was  intended  to  take 
the  place  of  one  of  the  others  in  case  of  any  emergency,  was 
tied  to  one  corner  of  the  cart ;  and,  as  he  rolled  along  behind 
us,  the  malicious  brute  would  set  down  his  pestle  hoofs  with 
most  unnecessary  emphasis,  making  the  soft  oozy  mud  fly  like 
cream  in  a  churn,  and  spattering  us  from  head  to  foot  till  we 
were  enclosed  in  a  complete  suit  of  defensive  armour. 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  299 

Where  the  road  was  smooth,  the  cattle  proceeded  at  a 
rapid  I'ate,  urged  on  by  the  relentless  goad  of  our  hombre. 
This  instrument  was  as  long-  and  stout  as  a  fishing-rod,  and 
terminated  in  a  formidable  brad  that  brought  blood  at  every 
blow.  The  hind  quarters  of  the  oxen  were  scarred  as  if  by 
the  smallpox  from  former  applications  of  this  cruel  weapon. 
When  our  hombre  desired  to  enliven  the  pair  that  were  yoked 
to  the  pole,  he  was  obliged  to  shorten  his  goad  stick  by  thrust- 
ing it  behind  him  into  the  cart,  to  the  serious  discomfiture  of 
Texas  and  Ohio.  To  do  him  justice,  however,  he  seldom  re- 
sorted to  this  means  of  propulsion,  except  in  the  most  difficult 
passages,  contenting  himself  with  yelling  in  the  most  approved 
fashion  of  his  class,  and  belabouring  his  cattle  with  a  storm  of 
ringing  Spanish  curses,  any  one  of  which  would  easily  have 
filled  a  balloon.  If  his  unaided  efforts  proved  ineffectual  to  ex- 
tricate us  from  the  slough,  he  was  obliged  to  wait  till  the  carts 
behind  came  up,  when  three  or  four  drivers,  levelling  their 
goads  all  at  once  at  the  unlucky  beasts,  and  raising  a  concert 
that  would  scare  at  least  ten  souls  out  of  one  weaver,  would 
commence  capering  and  grimacing  in  the  most  frantic  manner. 
The  naked  Indian  boys,  one  of  whom  followed  every  cart, 
would  join  in  this  exercise,  while  twenty  or  thirty  bearded 
Saxons  looked  on  with  supreme  contempt.  When  this  species 
of  incantation  did  not  succeed,  the  only  resource  was  to  attach 
a  third  yoke  of  oxen,  which  never  failed  to  extricate  us  from 
our  difficulty. 

The  first  part  of  our  journey  was  as  bad  as  a  road 
through  a  level  country  could  possibly  be.  The  dark 
fat  soil  had  been  churned  into  an  almost  uniform  mass 
of  the  softest  mud,  into  which  the  wheels  sunk  up  to  the 
hub.  Where  the  ground  was  firmer,  the  road  had  been 
worn  into  deep  ruts  and  holes,  which  would  bring  the  cart 
down  upon  its  axis  with  stunning  violence.  It  was  the  duty 
of  the  one  in  front  to  give  us  timely  warning  of  these  dan- 
gerous breakers. 


300  Golden'    Dreams 

"  Hard  a-starboard,"  he  would  suddenly  cry,  and  instantly 
Texas  and  Ohio  would  brace  themselves  more  tirmly,  in  antici- 
pation of  the  coming  shock,  while  Si  and  myself  drew  in  our 
pendulum  legs  with  emulous  celerity.  Down  goes  the  right 
wheel  as  suddenly  as  if  it  had  rolled  off  the  roof  of  a  house, 
settling  Texas'  head  au  inch  between  his  shoulders,  and  jam- 
ming Ohio's  inextricably  between  his  knees.  The  next  mo- 
ment their  positions  are  reversed,  the  cart  slowly  recovers  its 
balance  and  plunges  down  a  precipice  on  the  left.  It  is  in 
vain  that  they  cling  like  bats  to  the  framework  behind  them, 
or  brace  their  legs  like  pillars  against  the  opposite  side,  the 
next  jolt  upsets  all  their  calculations  and  throws  them  into  a 
state  of  helpless  bewilderment,  from  which  they  do  not  fully 
recover  till  the  cart  reaches  more  level  ground,  when  a  volley 
of  "  darns"  and  "goHies,"'  and  such  like  exclamations,  seems  to 
operate  as  a  wonderful  sedative. 

But  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  we  remained  constantly 
in  such  contracted  quarters.  Ohio's  bustling  activity  was 
continually  driving  him  out  to  stretch  his  legs,  Si  was  anxious 
to  try  his  new  revolyer,  and  we  all  felt  a  natural  curiosity  to 
see  as  much  of  the  country  as  possible.  It  was  unsafe,  how- 
ever, to  loiter  long  behind.  The  oxen  moved  commonly  as 
fast  as  a  man  could  walk,  and  if  they  ever  got  out  of  sight  it 
was  no  easy  matter  to  overtake  them.  "We  each  of  us  found 
ourselves  at  different  times  in  this  awkward  predicament ; 
and  the  state  of  exhaustion  in  which  we  at  length  rejoined 
our  company,  and  the  ill-concealed  derision  with  which  we 
were  greeted,  made  us  firmly  resolve  never  again  to  be  guilty 
of  a  similar  Ijlunder.  Yet  the  boy  of  ten  or  twelve  years 
who  accompanied  us,  performed  nearly  the  whole  journey  on 
foot,  and  without  exhibiting  any  signs  of  fatigue.  When  we 
first  left  Realejo  he  marched  before,  in  the  middle  of  the 
road,  and  the  cattle  followed  close  behind  as  if  he  had  been 
their  pilot.  But  after  we  were  once  fairly  started,  he  was  no 
longer  needed  in  that  capacity,  and  I  wondered  why  he  con- 


AND    Leaden    Realities,  801 

till  lied  to  follow  us.  Presently  I  saw  him  seize  a  large  knife, 
re?:cmbling  a  butcher's  cleaver,  that  lay  in  the  back  of  the 
.-•art,  and  run  into  the  woods.  In  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  he 
reaj)peared,  carrying  a  large  bundle  of  strips  of  bai'k  about 
a  foot  in  length.  While  I  was  in  an  agony  of  curiosity  to 
know  what  he  would  do  next,  he  advanced  to  the  side  of  the 
cart  and  thrust  several  of  the  mysterious  strips  in  between 
the  axle  and  the  wheel,  which  had  been  for  some  time  creak- 
ing in  the  most  distressing  manner.  A  few  turns  relieved  the 
difficulty.  The  bark,  ground  against  the  heated  axle,  yielded 
a  small  supply  of  lubricating  sap  that  furnished  an  indifferent 
substitute  for  grease.  This  lasted  perhaps  an  hour,  when 
another  application  became  necessary.  In  spite,  however,  of 
this  ingenious  artifice,  we  wore  out  two  axles  four  inches  in 
diameter  in  performing  a  journey  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles.  Several  times  the  axle  began  to  smoke,  when  the  cry 
of  "Acqui,  muchacho!  muchacho!  rota,  fuego!"  brought  our 
indefatigable  satellite  to  our  assistance.  When  not  thus  oc- 
cupied, he  commonly  walked  behind  the  cart,  with  a  grave 
and  erect  demeanour  that  set  off  the  hat,  the  only  article  of 
clothing  he  had  on,  to  infinite  advantage. 

The  wardrobe  of  our  hombre  was  rather  more  extensive. 
He  had,  besides  a  hat,  a  shirt  and  pair  of  pantaloons;  and, 
in  that  climate,  nothing  more  was  required.  The  children  of 
both  sexes  seldom  wear  a  rag  of  clothing  till  they  are  four 
years  old,  and  the  boys  often  go  entirely  naked  ten  years 
longer.  As  we  were  passing  one  day  through  a  village,  the 
name  of  which  I  have  forgotten,  my  attention  was  attracted 
by  a  little  girl  n#t  more  than  three  years  old,  standing  before 
the  door  of  a  house,  with  no  other  protection  than  a  cigar 
and  the  cloud  of  smoke  that  she  breathed  from  her  nostrils 
with  all  the  practiced  nonchalance  of  an  ancient  Dutchman.  A 
dispute,  however,  arose  as  to  the  sex  of  this  young  ancient, 
one  of  my  companions  stoutly  maintaining  that  it  was  a  boy; 
but  then,  as  a  lady  to  whom  I  related  the  incident  ingeniously 


k 


302  Golden    Dreams 

remarked,  the  children  dress  so  much  alike  in  that  country 
that  such  a  mistake  might  easily  occur. 

"We  went  the  first  day  only  seven  miles,  and  stopped  for  the 
night  at  Chanandaigua,  a  large  town,  and  much  more  attrac- 
tive than  Realejo,  though  the  style  of  building,  as  in  all  the 
cities  of  Central  America,  is  to  a  stranger  naturally  gloomy 
and  repulsive.  The  houses  are  mostly  of  one  story,  built  of 
stone  or  brick,  and  plastered  witk  cement.  There  are  few 
windows  looking  towards  the  street,  and  these  are  often 
guarded  by  iron  gratings  or  heavy  shutters.  The  principal 
hotels  and  larger  dwelling-houses  somewhat  resemble  an  East- 
ern caravanserai.  They  consist  of  a  range  of  apartments 
surrounding  an  open  square,  and  connected  by  a  broad 
verandah.  On  this  verandah  the  most  important  affairs 
of  the  family  are  conducted.  It  is  often  used  as  a  kitchen, 
and  almost  always  as  a  dining-room  and  bed-chamber.  Ham- 
mocks slung  between  the  posts  and  the  walls  of  the  house 
furnish  a  favourite  lounge  by  day  and  bed  by  night.  But 
little  furniture  is  I'equired,  and  that  of  the  plainest  descrip- 
tion. A  few  chairs,  a  rough  table,  and  a  number  of  cot- 
bedsteads  comprised  the  entire  contents  of  the  best  hotel 
we  found  during  our  journey,  and  in  Leon,  a  city  of  forty 
thousand  inhabitants,  we  w'ere  obliged  to  sleep  on  the  floor. 

At  Chanandaigua  we  fared  sumptuously  on  boiled  chicken, 
eggs,  and  wheaten  bread  resembling  what  we  call  French 
rolls.  The  flour  used  in  the  country  is  mostly  imported  from 
the  United  States,  and  the  lower  classes  subsist  almost  en- 
tirely on  corn  and  fruit.  Our  hombre  grew  fat  on  a  diet  we 
thought  fit  only  for  -liogs.  When  we  left  Realejo,  he  threw 
into  the  cart  a  bag  containing  a  lump  of  something  twice  as 
big  as  his  hand,  and  of  most  alarming  ponderosity.  On  stop- 
ping for  dinner,  he  opened  the  bag,  and  displayed  to  our  won- 
dering eyes  what  seemed  the  half  of  a  huge  cheese,  but  on 
closer  inspection  proved  to  be  a  loaf  of  meal  and  water  of  a 
degree  of  density  that  argued  immense  pressure.     With  a 


AND   Leaden    R  e  a  t  i  t  i  e  s  .  303 

huge  wedge  of  this  in  one  hand  and  a  small  wedge  of  rude 
cheese  resembling  curd  in  the  other,  he  munched  and  nibbled 
alternately,  with  the  most  evident  satisfaction.  Before  we 
reached  the  end  of  our  journey,  the  bread  had  become  so  sour 
as  to  impregnate  the  whole  atmosphere  of  our  cart  ;  yet  the 
appetite  of  the  hombre  appeared  in  no  wise  diminished,  and 
he  and  the  muchacho  probably  finished  the  cake  between 
them  on  their  homeward  route. 


>04  Golden*    Dreams 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

ITT'E  left  Chanandaigua  early  in  the  morning,  for  \vc  had  a 
' '  long  march  before  us,  and  desired  to  avoid  the  intense 
heat  of  midday  as  far  as  possible.  The  road  led  most  of  the 
way  through  an  almost  unbroken  forest,  interrupted  at  long 
intervals  by  a  patch  of  corn  or  sugar-cane,  with  a  footpath 
winding  off  to  some  invisible  and  isolated  farmhouse.  Except 
in  the  towns  and  villages,  I  do  not  remember  seeing  more 
than  one  building  during  our  whole  march  ; — the  country 
seemed  uninhabited,  and  the  fat  and  fertile  soil  suffered  for 
want  of  hands  to  trim  its  waste  luxuriance.  Among  the 
strange  trees  of  the  forest,  the  mahogany  seemed  like  an  old 
acquaintance.  Those  that  we  saw  were  about  the  size  of 
our  largest  oaks,  and  closely  resembled  them  in  the  size  and 
formation  of  the  branches. 

We  passed  this  day  through  one  or  two  small  towns,  the 
inhabitants  of  which  came  running  to  the  doors  to  feast  their 
eyes  on  so  unusual  a  spectacle.  Everywhere  we  were  received 
with  shouts  of  welcome  ; — even  the  little  children  joining  in 
the  cry  of  "  los  buenos  Americanos  !"  Yet  it  must  be  con- 
fessed that  our  nppearance  was  by  no  means  prepossessing  ; — 
we  looked  more  like  a  l^and  of  robbers  or  ragamuffins  than 
the  peaceful  representatives  of  the  greatest  country  in  the 
known  world,  and  perhaps  owed  more  to  our  reals  and  revolv- 
ers than  our  vanity  would  have  been  willing  to  allow.  But 
whatever  may  have  been  the  reason,  we  had  no  cause  to  com- 
plain of  incivility,  and  the  only  serious  annoyance  was  the  ever- 


AND    Lea  HEN    Realities.  305 

lasting  "  poco  tiempo."  In  the  mouth  of  a  Spaniard  or  an  Indian 
these  words  possess  the  most  perplexing  significance.  They  are 
a  sufficient  answer  to  all  complaint  or  expostulation.  They 
are  expected  to  feed  the  hungry,  to  quiet  the  impatient,  and  to 
satisfy  the  inquisitive.  They  afford  the  best  possible  refuge 
for  indolence  and  stupidity,  and  there  is  reason  to  fear  that  as 
long  as  the  Spaniard  retains  these  words  in  his  vocabulary  he 
will  continue  to  be  distinguished  for  both  those  vices. 

It  was  by  a  strange  misnomer  that  we  called  our  driver 
horabre.  He  had,  to  be  sure,  the  outward  semblance  of  a 
man,  but  he  had  no  right  to  such  a  distinctive  title.  Curiosity, 
not  that  of  the  monkey,  but  of  the  philosopher,  is  man's  most 
striking  characteristic.  Instead  of  defining  him  as  a  laughing 
animal  or  a  cooking  animal,  I  would  define  him  as  a  curious 
animal.  From  this  definition  our  hombre  would  certainly  have 
been  excluded.  Of  curiosity  of  any  sort  he  had  not,  appa- 
rently, a  single  particle,  and  his  intelligence  was  of  the  most 
contracted  order.  This  was  just  the  character  for  poco  tiempo. 
He  understood  the  uses  of  the  phrase  to  perfection.  If  he  de- 
layed starting  in  the  morning  long  after  the  last  of  our  com- 
panions had  disappeared,  poco  tiempo  was  his  ready  answer. 
If  he  loitered  on  the  road  without  any  assignable  reason,  when 
twilight  w^as  already  stealing  upon  us,  it  was  still  poco  tiempo. 
There  was  no  use  in  getting  into  a  passion, — in  the  first  place 
he  did  not  understand  English,  and  if  he  had  he  would  only 
have  shrugged  his  shoulders  a  little  more  expressively,  with- 
out losing  a  jot  of  his  abiding  complacency.  We  at  length 
gave  up  the  contest  in  despair,  and  submitted  to  a  fate  we 
could  not  resist,  consoling  ourselves  with  the  reflection  that 
an  animal,  who  lived  on  cheese  and  sonr  Indian  bread  of  the 
consistency  of  a  bullet,  must  needs  be  of  a  very  heavy,  phleg- 
matic temper. 

At  several  places  by  the  roadside  we  found  women  and  chil- 
dren with  little  tables  covered  with  oranges,  coarse  brown  sugar, 
lemonade,  and  bottles  of  milk.     As  bottles  were  apparently 


306  Golden  Diieams 

difficult  to  obtain,  they  were  seldom  ^^^lling  to  part  with  them; 
but  rather  than  lose  the  sale  of  the  milk,  they  would  follow 
the  cart  a  loiiir  distauce,  eagerly  watching  the  bottle  the  whole 
time,  as  it  rose  from  a  horizontal  to  an  upright  position,  as  if 
fearful  that  that  too  would  be  swallowed  by  the  voracious 
Americano.  In  spite  of  the  intense  heat  we  drank  but  little 
water  on  our  journey,  preferring  to  quench  our  tliirst  with 
oranges,  of  which  I  sometimes  ate.  or  rather  drunk,  twenty  in 
a  single  day.  They  were  not  only  far  superior  to  any  ever 
seen  in  the  States,  but  surpassed,  in  almost  the  same  degree, 
those  we  had  eaten  at  Rio  and  Havana,  the  intensest  heat  of 
tlie  tropics  being  required  to  bring  this  fruit  to  perfection. 
Of  the  pineapples  I  can  only  say,  they  seemed  more  fit  to  be 
the  food  of  angels  than  of  men  ;  and  if,  as  some  suppose,  our 
ciiaracter  be  really  affected  by  the  nature  of  our  food,  then 
tho:se  who  live  on  the  pineapples  of  the  equator  must  be  of  all 
men  the  most  sul)tilized  and  ethereal.  I  am  quite  satisfied  in 
my  own  mind  the  amiable  Eiia  must,  some  time  in  his  life, 
have  visited  Central  Am.u'ica,  or  he  never  could  have  written 
with  such  feeling  and  unction  on  a  subject  that  can  be  appre- 
ciated only  by  those  who  have  been  fortunate  enough  to  enjoy 
similar  opportunities.  We  travelled  this  day  thirty-six  miles, 
and  came  late  in  the  evening  to  Leon.  Our  clumsy  caravan, 
that  seemed  sufficiently  rude  and  primitive  in  the  depths  of 
the  forest,  harmonized  still  less  with  the  paved  streets  of  a 
great  and  splendid  city.  It  was  like  the  relic  of  a  barbarous 
age,  and  I  could  not  lielp  thinking  that  the  inhabitants  of 
Leon  would  regard  it  with  as  much  curiosity  as  I  had  done 
myself.  Yet  it  produced  no  greater  sensation  than  a  mar- 
ket wagon  in  Boston  or  Xew  York, — our  hombre  drove 
carelessly  along,  past  long  blocks  of  lofty  houses,  and  under 
magnificent  cathedrals,  without  a  thought  of  the  ludicrous 
contrast  we  presented.  He  stopped  at  length  before  a  hotel, 
where  a  crowd  of  our  companions  were  already  assembled. 
Some  of  them  had  been  here  several  hours  ;  they  had  eaten 


AND   Leaden    Realitii;s.  307 

their  supper,  and  were  now  grumbling  in  good  set  terms  at  the 
imposition  that  had  been  practised  upon  them.  In  the  first 
place  the  supper  was  detestable,  and  in  the  second  place  there 
was  not  half  enough  of  it.  Putting  these  two  together,  and 
sagely  concluding  that  the  case  could  not  be  much  worse,  we 
determined  to  try  our  fortunes  in  another  direction.  An 
American,  who  had  been  residing  several  months  in  Leon, 
directed  us  to  a  private  house,  where  he  said  we  should  be 
sure  to  obtain  an  excellent  supper. 

This  house  stood  on  one  corner  of  the  plaza,  directly  oppo- 
site the  great  cathedral.  It  presented  the  same  appearance 
of  squalid  magnificence  to  which  I  have  already  alluded  ; — 
tiie  walls  were  of  stone,  and  tlie  apartments  lofty  and  spa- 
cious, but  there  were  no  carpets,  no  sofas,  no  mirrors,  and 
no  sign  of  comfort  except  a  netted  hammock  of  twisted  grass 
swung  between  the  corners  of  what  must  be  called  the  parlour. 

After  a  long  delay,  which  Ohio  bore  with  provoking  good 
nature,  supper  was  brought  iu  by  a  fat  senora,  assisted  by  a 
peeping  senorita,  and  displayed  upon  the  rickety  little  table. 
The  plates  were  of  different  patterns, — the  cups  were  without 
saucers, — the  knives  without  forks, — and,  for  want  of  a  more 
convenient  seat,  Texas  was  fain  to  trust  himself  to  the  ham- 
mock ; — but,  as  Ohio  declared,  with  his  mouth  full  of  chicken, 
and  eggs,  and  fi'ijoles,  it  was  a  supper  fit  for  a  king ;  but 
then,  unfortunately,  we  were  no  king,  but  four  half-starved 
Californians.  When  our  chicken,  who  had  doubtless  been 
the  lean  and  hungry  Cassius  to  some  Caesar  of  the  dunghill, 
had  disappeared  almost  bodily  down  our  throats, — and  when 
the  eggs  and  beans  had  followed,  without  at  all  diminishing 
our  ardour, — we,  all  at  once,  turned  upon  our  hostess  a  look 
of  inquiry  mingled  with  the  utmost  complacency  and  benevo- 
lence. It  was  as  much  as  to  say,  "  So  far  good, — you  have 
made,  ray  dear  senora  !  a  very  toleral)le  commencement, — 
after  this  little  skirmish,  we  feel  ready  for  the  more  important 
engagement  that  is  to  follow." 


808  Golden    Dreams 

But  the  senora,  lookinjr  coldly  and  ungratefully  upon  our 
enthusiasm,  replies,  that  what  we  have  just  eaten  is  really  and 
absolutely  our  supper,  that  there  is,  in  fact,  not  another  mor- 
sel of  food  in  the  house.  Slowly  and  reluctantly  we  dropped 
our  four  reals  into  the  skinny  hands  of  the  withered  old  bel- 
dame, and  walked  back  to  our  hotel  a  sadder  and  wiser  man. 

Havhig  slept  very  comfortably  on  the  dirty  floor  of  the 
dhiing-room,  we  walked  out  next  morning  to  see  the  city. 
There  can  hardly  be  a  greater  contrast  than  that  between  the 
towns  and  cities  of  Central  America  and  those  of  our  own 
country.  The  latter  are  emphatically  of  to-day, — they  have 
notliing  to  do  with  the  past,  and  hardly  any  thing  more  to  do 
with  the  future.  If  our  buildings  do  uot  tumble  down  in  the 
progress  of  erection,  they  are  almost  sure  to  be  removed  in  a 
fevi-  years  to  give  place  to  others.  But  the  buildings  of  Leon 
seemed  to  have  locked  up  in  them  the  story  of  a  thousand 
years,  and  as  if  they  might  live  to  tell  of  a  thousand  years  to 
come.  There  are  no  unfinished  houses,  no  piles  of  stone  or 
lumber  blocking  up  the  streets,  no  sound  of  the  saw,  or  pleas- 
ant tinkling  of  the  mason's  hammer.  These  things  may  have 
been  some  centuries  ago,  but  one  Avould  rather  suppose  the 
whole  city  had  suddenly  sprung  from  the  ground,  like  Minerva 
full  grown  from  the  head  of  Jupiter.  Yet  it  has  nothing  of 
the  warmtli,  and  brilliancy,  and  fantastic  variety  of  tropical 
vegetation  ; — instead  of  the  gaudy  kiosk  and  slender  miuaret, 
like  bundles  of  sunbeams  converted  into  stone,  which  harmo- 
nize so  well  with  the  glowing  regions  of  the  sun,  there  is  no- 
thing but  a  heavy,  cubic  monotony,  better  suited  to  the  snows 
of  Siberia,  or  Dickens'  London  fog. 

The  cathedral  is  a  vast,  ungainly  structure,  built  entirely  of 
stone,  and  with  no  pretensions  to  beauty  ;  but  being  advanta- 
geously situated  on  one  side  of  the  great  square,  with  several 
massive  towers,  it  presents  a  very  imposing  and  commanding 
appearance.  Ascending  to  the  top  by  a  narrow,  winding 
stairway,  in  the  thickness  of  the  wall,  we  obtained  a  grand 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  309 

and  extensive  prospect.  From  tliis  elevated  island  of  brick, 
and  stone,  and  mortar,  we  overlooked  an  immense  s*a  of 
foliage  which  closed  around  us  on  every  side,  dotted,  here  and 
there,  with  smaller  islands,  and  watched  over  by  the  cloud- 
girdled,  pyramidal  mountain  we  had  seen  in  ascending  the 
Realejo,  seemingly  thrown  forward,  like  a  solitary  sentinel,  in 
advance  of  the  mighty  host  behind.  We  stood  on  a  building, 
and  in  the  midst  of  a  city  belonging  to  the  civilization  of  the 
old  world,  while  all  around  lay  the  untamed  barbarism  of  the 
new.  The  inhabitants  of  Leon  are  not  Americans,  but  Euro- 
peans, and  such  as  Europe  saw  two  hundred  years  ago.  They 
have  gained  nothing  of  new  life  and  vigour  by  being  trans- 
planted on  to  this  virgin  soil,  but  seem  rather  to  have  lost 
wliat  little  they  possessed.  This  country  has  not  proved  to 
them  the  harsh  stepmother  that  New  England  was  to  our 
Puritan  ancestors  ;  but,  like  a  foolish  grandam,  has  spoilt 
them  by  her  foolish  indulgence.  The  result  is  that  they  can 
do  nothing  for  themselves, — England  supplies  them  with  man- 
ufactures, and  the  United  States  furnish  their  flour.  Their 
cities,  without  good  roads  to  connect  them  with  the  country 
and  with  each  other,  languish  and  go  out  like  scattered 
emljers. 

Yet  the  country  is  rich  almost  beyond  compare.  The 
forests  abound  in  the  most  valuable  timber,  the  soil  is  of 
inexhaustible  fertility,  and  the  year  is  a  constant  harvest. 
The  sugar-cane,  which  in  our  Southern  States  requires  to  be 
renewed  every  three  years,  here  continues  to  yield  a  sufficient 
return  for  ten,  growing  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  high,  and  as 
thick  as  a  man's  arm.  Native  labour  can  be  obtained  for  a 
real  a  day.  As  far  as  our  experience  extends,  the  climate  is 
extremely  healthy.  We  were  three  weeks  in  the  country,  at 
the  commencement  of  the  rainy  season,  and  especially  liable 
to  sickness  from  our  long  confinement,  yet  we  lost  only  one 
man  by  disease,  and  he  was  attacked  before  we  left  the  ship. 
Government  holds  out  great  inducement  to  actual  settlers, 


olO  Golden   Dreams 

and  the  finest  land  in  the  world  can  be  obtained  at  a  merely 
nominal  value . 

"While  we  were  at  Leon,  an  offer  was  made  to  Ohio  of  so 
liberal  a  nature  as  almost  induced  him  to  stop  short  ou 
his  homeward  journey,  and  forego  the  anticipated  pleasure 
of  seeing  his  wife  and  children  for  another  year.  He  was 
to  receive  one  hundred  dollars  a  month,  besides  board  and 
lodging;  a  shop  and  tools  were  promised  at  the  expense  of 
Government,  and  the  privilege  of  working  a  third  of  the  time 
on  his  own  account  was  superadded. 

Other  artisans  were  also  eagerly  sought  after.  Thousands 
of  muskets  lay  useless  in  the  armories,  because  not  a  workman 
could  be  found  who  understood  the  mysteries  of  a  lock — not 
the  permutation,  combination  lock  of  Brahmah  or  Hobbs,  but 
a  simple  gun-lock,  the  construction  of  which  is  known  to  every 
boy  of  twelve  iu  the  United  States.  But  it  is  time  to  leave 
Leon  and  its  helpless  inhabitants.  They  reminded  me  con- 
stantly of  the  snail  in  the  shell  of  a  lobster,  and  of  a  little 
boy  dressed  in  his  father's  clothes,  and  playing  that  he  was  a 
man. 

We  passed  through  Central  America  at  the  time  of  the 
civil  war,  and  many  of  the  streets  of  Leon  were  barricaded 
and  guarded  with  mounted  cannon.  After  leaving  that  city, 
we  were  told  that  we  should  enter  the  territory  occupied  by 
the  hostile  faction;  and,  to  avoid  all  danger  of  ill-treatment, 
we  were  advised  to  keep  as  close  together  as  possible.  But 
nothing  occurred  to  justify  these  apprehensions,  or  even  to 
show  that  any  war  was  raging.  We  met  one  day,  in  the 
thickest  part  of  the  wood,  a  dozen  or  twenty  scarecrows, 
mounted  on  sorry  horses,  and  armed  with  light  lances  and 
muskets;  but,  if  these  were  a  fair  specimen  of  the  Granadian 
chivalry,  we  should  Imvc  had  little  to  fear  from  their  whole 
array.  However,  we  were  all  of  us  desirous  to  avoid  a  colli- 
sion, for  it  would  certainly  seem  very  ridiculous,  after  spending 
one  or  two  years  in  earning  perhaps  as  many  thousands,  to 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  311 

get  killed  just  as  we  were  ready  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  our 
labour.  This  feeling,  I  have  uo  doubt,  moderated  the  ardour 
of  more  thau  one  of  our  number  who  might  otherwise  have 
had  no  objection  to  the  excitement  of  a  skriramage,  or  to 
take  up  arms  in  one  or  the  other  of  the  contending  parties. 

We  left  Leon  about  the  10th,  a.  ji.,  and  making  only  a 
short  journey,  stopped  for  the  ni^-ht  at  a  little  Indian  village 
called  Nigaroti — I  am  noc  responsible  for  the  spelling — the 
population  of  which  could  not  much  have  exceeded  the  num- 
ber of  our  own  caravan.  It  consisted  of  a  small  collection 
of  houses  or  huts  buUt  of  rude  ba.sket-work,  daubed  in  some 
eases  with  clay,  and  covered  with  a  shaggy  thatch.  Each 
house  stood  in  an  enclosure,  formed  by  a  hedge  of  most  mag- 
nificent proportions.  A  species  of  cactus,  planted  in  a  single 
row,  furnished  a  green  marble  wall  of  lofty  columns,  standing 
so  close  together  that  uo  animal  larger  than  a  squirrel  could 
pass  between.  These  walls  were  now  in  a  dilapidated  condi- 
tion, reminding  the  spectator  of  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  tem- 
ple. Some  of  the  columns  were  at  least  thirty  feet  in  height, 
while  others  had  been  broken  off  at  a  few  feet  from  the 
ground,  and  the  fragments  were  still  lying  where  they  had 
fallen.  They  were  all  about  eight  inches  in  diameter  from 
top  to  bottom,  with  small  rings  at  regular  intervals  resem- 
bling the  joints  of  the  cane. 

As  there  was  no  hotel,  we  quartered  ourselves  upon  the 
inhabitants,  who  received  us  with  the  warmest  demonstrations 
of  friendship,  and  instantly  set  to  work  to  prepare  for  us  the 
best  supper  their  limited  means  would  allow.  I  here  first 
witnessed  the  operation  of  making  the  tortilla,  the  favourite, 
and,  as  far  as  I  could  learn,  the  only  form  in  which  bread  is 
eaten  by  the  lower  classes.  At  Acapulco  and  other  cities  we 
had  seen  them  offered  for  sale  in  piles  six  inches  high,  and 
presenting  a  very  tempting  appearance.  The  natives  ate 
them  with  great  apparent  relish,  rolling  them  up  into  a  cylin- 
der, and  plugging  the  opening  with  a  small  stopper  of  cheese. 


312  Golden    Diieams 

As  we  had  hitherto,  however,  been  able  to  obtain  wheatcn 
bread,  I  had  only  just  tasted  them  out  of  curiosity,  when  I 
found  they  were  far  from  being  as  good  as  they  looked.  But 
in  this  little  village  flour  was,  perhaps,  never  heard  of,  and  in 
every  house  one  or  more  occupants  were  now  busy  in  pre- 
paring the  hot  and  almost  crispy  tortilla.  I  watched  the 
movements  of  our  dusky  maiden  with  great  interest.  She 
first  crushed  the  corn,  previously  softened  by  boiling,  into  a 
uniform  paste,  by  means  of  a  common  rolling-pin,  then  with 
great  dexterity  formed  it  into  round  balls  or  biscuits,  one  of 
which  she  placed  on  the  bottom  of  a  shallow  earthen  pan 
resting  on  a  few  embers.  With  the  back  of  her  clenched 
hand  she  spread  it  out  over  the  dish,  till  it  assumed  the  form 
of  a  buckwheat  cake,  though  instead  of  the  dimples  that 
come  and  go  on  the  surface  of  the  latter,  it  was  all  over 
indented  with  the  print  of  her  knuckles.  When  one  side 
was  browned  the  cake  was  turned,  and  as  the  whole  process 
required  but  a  few  minutes  we  soon  had  a  high  tower  of 
tortillas  smoking  on  our  little  table.  There  was  the  usual 
accompaniment  of  fried  eggs  and  chicken.  The  tortillas 
served  for  plates  as  well  as  napkins,  and  the  whole  family 
stood  ready  to  wait  on  us,  and  watching  our  every  movement 
with  the  most  ludicrous  interest  and  delight. 

There  was  the  grandfather,  still  hale  and  vigorous;  the 
young  mother,  with  her  infant  in  her  arras,  and  half  a  dozen 
others  scarce  big  enough  to  go  alone.  When  we  asked  about 
her  family,  she  laughed  and  l)lushed  aiid  pouted  with  true  femi- 
nine coquetry,  and  quite  vanquished  the  stout  heart  of  our  gal- 
lant Ohio.  Perceiving  that  I  had  some  difficulty  in  dissecting 
the  joints  of  the  chicken,  she  took  up  a  fragment,  and  tearing 
it  to  pieces  with  her  fingers,  laid  them  before  me,  one  after 
another,  with  an  approving  smile,  and  an  exclamation  of 
bueno  at  every  mouthful.  I  had  no  doubt,  from  this  proof 
of  her  hospitality,  that  she  would  have  fed  me  with  her  fingers 
if  I  had  desired.     And,  presently,  another  incident  showed 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  313 

still  more  strongly  her  lofty  disregard  of  what  we,  in  our 
self-complacent  wisdom,  have  styled  the  laws  of  decorum. 
As  there  was  a  want  of  plates,  one  of  our  party  had  cun- 
ningly appropriated  to  his  own  use  that  containing  our  scanty 
supply  of  eggs.  Snatching  the  dish  from  his  hands,  the 
young  senora,  with  the  end  of  her  forefinger,  and  with  most 
amazing  dexterity,  divided  the  only  remaining  egg  in  the 
middle,  and  slid  half  of  it  on  to  Ohio's  empty  tortilla. 
"Bueno,  bueno  !"  she  exclaimed;  and  "  Bueno  1"  faintly 
echoed  Ohio,  as  he  fell  back  on  his  seat,  and  surveyed  with 
admiration  the  egg  that  had  been  so  ruthlessly  dissevered. 
The  simple,  unsophisticated  beings  around  us  mistook  the 
nature  of  the  mirth  that  followed  this  performance,  and 
supposing  it  to  arise  from  the  satisfaction  produced  by  so 
good  a  supper,  joined  in  it  with  hearty  good-will.  But  we 
had  not  yet  learned  all  those  uses  of  fingers  w^hich  nature 
designed,  but  which  civilization  has  discarded.  A  favourite 
beverage,  wath  us  as  well  as  with  the  natives,  was  lemonade. 
To  sweeten  this  delectable  compound,  they  used  the  coarse 
black  sugar  of  the  country,  which,  to  avoid  the  necessity  of 
weighing,  is  commonly  cast  in  small  oblong  cakes,  as  maple- 
sugar  is  often  seen  at  home.  Biting  off  a  lump  of  the  proper 
size,  our  hostess  dropped  it  from  her  mouth  into  one  of  the 
little  gourds  that  served  for  tumblers,  and  having  stirred  it 
with  her  finger,  presented  it  to  me  with  a  simple  grace  that 
Hebe  might  have  tried  in  vain  to  equal.  After  the  scenes  I 
had  witnessed  in  the  mines,  and  the  far  more  disgusting  exhi- 
bitions of  life  at  sea,  I  must  plead  guilty  of  affectation  in 
refusing  anything  from  the  hand  of  a  woman.  I  courteously 
passed  the  gourd  to  my  next  neighbour,  who,  either  not 
having  witnessed  the  mode  of  preparation  or  proud  of  such 
an  opportunity  of  displaying  his  gallantry,  swallowed  the 
whole  at  a  single  draught. 

We  rose  from  table  in  high  good  humour  with  ourselves 
and  our  entertainers,  but  our  enthusiasm  was  not  a  little 
14 


ol-i  Golden    Dreams 

dampcued  by  the  eagerness  they  manifested  to  obtain  imme- 
diate possession  of  our  money.  "  Quatro  reales,"  cried  the 
gi-audfather,  holding  out  his  hand;  "Quatro  reales,"  simpered 
the  young  mother;  "Quatro  reales," screamed  all  the  children 
in  concert,  and  standing  on  tiptoe;  while  the  sucking  baby, 
on  its  mother's  breast,  almost  threw  itself  into  convulsions  in 
trying  to  master  the  mysterious  syllables. 

As  we  intended  to  lodge  and  take  breakfast  with  them, 
this  impatience  might  seem  to  imply  some  doubt  of  our 
honesty.  AYe  attributed  it,  however,  to  a  natural  curiosity 
to  feast  their  eyes  on  a  larger  sum  of  money  than  they  had 
probably  ever  possessed.  Though  they  had  all  their  simple 
wants  requii-ed,  and  might  have  been  considered  wealthy  by 
their  poorer  neighbours,  yet  I  have  no  doubt  that  fifty  dol- 
lars would  have  been  an  ample  equivalent  for  all  their  worldly 
possessions.  A  single  glance  showed  us  the  inventory  of  all 
their  household  goods.  Under  a  small  open  shed  in  one  cor- 
ner of  the  enclosure  stood  a  rude  forge — our  entertainer  was 
the  village  smith — with  a  few  clumsy  tools  scattered  around 
it.  Their  whole  supply  of  crockery  was  displayed  upon  our 
little  table.  Goiurds,  of  different  sizes,  served  them  for  tea- 
cups, for  coffee-pots,  and  for  milk-pails.  Their  simple  cookery 
was  performed  in  a  few  vessels  of  earthenware.  A  few  steps 
from  the  blacksmith's  shop,  stood  the  huge  wicker  basket  con- 
taining their  sleeping  apartments.  This  consisted  of  two 
rooms,  the  first  of  which  would  undoubtedly  have  been  the 
very  smallest  room  in  the  world,  if  the  second  had  not  been 
still  smaller.  The  larger  one  contained  a  rude  bedstead,  and 
a  hammock  was  slung  cornerwise  across  the  other.  There 
was  no  other  furniture,  and  no  window,  but  the  open  door  and 
numerous  cracks  in  the  walls  admitted  sufiScient  light.  As  it 
was  evident  that,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  the  greater 
part  of  the  family  would  have  to  sleep  out  of  doors,  we  had 
no  hesitation  in  taking  undivided  possession. 

We  were  roused  by  the  old  man  two  hours  before  day ; 


1 


AND   Leaden    Realities.  315 

and,  going  ont  into  tlie  yard,  found  the  table  set  for  break- 
fast, and  the  whole  family  eagerly  awaiting  our  appearance. 
Secretly  envying  the  hens  and  turkeys  that  were  just  settling 
themselves  for  their  morning  nap  upon  the  branches  of  the 
high  tree  above,  we  sat  down  to  breakfast  by  the  light  of  the 
stars  and  an  envious  tallow  candle.  In  addition  to  what  we 
had  for  supper,  they  had,  according  to  promise,  provided  each 
of  us  with  a  small  gourd  containing  half  a  pint  of  milk — a 
luxury  we  seldom  succeeded  in  obtaining  except  in  t!ie  morn- 
ing, eitlier  because,  as  Texas  suggested,  the  heat  of  the  day 
dried  up  the  cows,  or  because  the  natives  were  too  indolent 
to  take  the  trouble. 

After  breakfast,  the  same  scene  was  repeated  as  on  the 
previous  evening.  Having  obtained  their  quatro  reales,  and 
a  medio  apiece  for  lodging,  we  saw  them  huddling  together 
round  the  forge,  and  counting  their  gains  with  an  immense 
deal  of  jabbering  and  gesticulation.  All  of  our  companions 
were  aroused  at  the  same  unseasonable  hour,  and,  like  our- 
selves, devoured  with  curiosity  to  learn  the  cause  of  so  strange 
a  phenomenon,  but  our  ignorance  of  Spanish  defeated  all  our 
efforts,  and  the  subject  yet  remains  in  all  its  original  obscurity. 


316  Golden    Dreams 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

"VT7"E  stopped  the  fourth  night  at  a  town  called  San  Pablo, 
' '  containing  many  substantial  buildings  and  several  thou- 
sand inhabitants.  We  were  obliged,  however,  to  throw 
ourselves,  as  before,  upon  the  hospitality  of  private  families. 
Oar  search  for  some  time  proved  unsuccessful, — the  citizens 
were  wealthier  and  more  aristocratic,  and  were  not  always 
disposed  to  receive  such  a  set  of  ragamuffins  into  their 
houses.  But,  at  length,  one  of  the  principal  storekeepers 
consented  to  provide  us  with  supper  and  lodging,  and  then 
the  following  conversation  took  place  : 

"  Hive  you  any  eggs — huevos  ?'' 

"  S^  Senor  !  huevos."—"  Gallina  ?"  "  Si,  SeHor  !  gal- 
lina."'— "  P.in  ?*'  "  Si,  pan." — "  Milk  ?"  (here  our  Spanish 
was  at  fault.)  "  Si,  manana."— "  Frijoles  ?"  "Si,  SeHor  ! 
Irjoks."  *' Bueno  !  quaiitos  realcs  ?"  "  Quantos  reales  ?" — 
and  at  this  iin]  ortant  f[uestion  he  hesitated,  while  he  con- 
sulted with  h;s  wife  by  siirns — "  Cinqno  reales." — "  Cinquo 
roales  por  uno  ?"  "  Si,  Serior  !  bueno  ?"'  "  Si  !  bueno  ! 
quantos  boras  ?" 

This  question  completely  staggered  him,  as  well  it  might  ; 
but  we  at  length  succeeded  in  making  him  comprehend  that 
we  wished  to  know  at  what  hour  we  could  have  supper;  and, 
this  being  satisfactorily  arranged,  he  again  ran  over  our  bill 
of  fare  : — "  Huevos,  gallina,  pan,  frijoles,  cinquo  reales,  esta 
bueno  ?" 

"  Si,  Seuor,"  we  replied,  "  esta  bueno,"  and  set  out  on  a 


AXD    Leaden    Realities.  317 

stroll  tlirong-h  the  town  in  search  of  a  Panama  hat  Ohio  was 
anxious  to  obtain.  We  failed  to  SikI  any  sufficiently  large, 
but  goiiig-  into  what  seemed  a  shop,  we  found  a  fat  padre 
swinging  in  his  lianimock,  with  one  foot  lazily  patting  the 
floor,  and  an  expression  of  entire  complacency  in  his  little 
twinkling  eyes  and  broad,  good-humoured  countenance.  His 
library  was  arranged  on  one  or  two  small  shelves,  and  con- 
sisted mostly  of  ancient  Latin  folios  written,  probably,  some 
hundreds  of  years  ago.  The  padre  received  us  with  the 
utmost  courtesy  ;  and,  in  spite  of  his  sluggish  temper,  really 
looked  as  if  he  would  have  liked  to  converse  with  us  if  he 
could.  But  signs  and  single  words,  though  they  sometimes 
answered  a  very  good  purpose  in  enabling  us  to  make  a  bar- 
gain for  supper,  or  something  equally  simple,  were  of  little 
service  in  carrying  on  an  abstract  conversation  ;  we  therefore 
soon  made  our  adios,  the  padre  returned  to  his  hammock  to 
meditate  over  his  dinner,  and  we  continued  our  walk. 

After  an  excellent  supper,  which,  besides  the  dishes  inclu- 
ded in  our  bill  of  fare,  contained  several  that  were  entirely 
new  to  us,  we  threw  ourselves  into  the  hammocks  that  were 
slung  in  the  little  shop  and  composed  ourselves  to  sleep.  But 
the  fumes  of  garlic  and  aguadiente,  the  glancing  of  lights 
before  my  half-shut  eyes, — I  have  the  misfortune  to  sleep,  like 
the  weasel,  with  one  eye  half  open, — and  an  interrupted  note 
of  preparation  buzzing  in  my  ears,  kept  all  my  senses  on  the 
alert.  At  two  in  the  morning  we  were  summoned  to  break- 
fast, and  this  time  with  a  reason ;  for  a  long  march  was  before 
us,  and  our  horabres  desired  to  make  an  early  start.  The 
breakfast  exceeded  in  variety  and  abundance  anything  that 
had  been  set  before  us  for  months  ;  and,  if  our  entertainers 
had  understood  English,  they  would  have  been  highly  amused 
by  our  involuntary  exclamations  of  delight. 

The  language  of  inarticulate  sounds,  however,  is  pretty 
much  the  same  the  world  over  ;  and  Dr.  Johnson  over  his 


S18  Golden-   Dkeams 

leg  of  mutton,  and  Sidney  Smith's  South  Sea  Islander  over 
his  slice  of  broiled  missionary,  would  have  had  no  difficulty 
in  responding  to  each  other's  emotions.  When  our  repast 
was  ended,  our  host,  with  an  enlarged  and  comprehensive 
liberality,  of  which  we  had  hitherto  found  no  specimen  among 
his  countrymen,  insisted  upon  our  drinking  his  health  in  a 
glass  of  his  own  aguadiente  ;  and  we  parted  from  him,  his 
wife,  and  daughter,  with  expressions  of  mutual  good-will, 
which  lasted  on  our  part  as  long  as  the  smack  of  his  hospi- 
tality still  lingered  on  our  palate. 

The  length  of  this  day's  journey  was  rendered  more 
fatiguing  by  the  various  delays  that  we  encountered.  Among 
the  other  ingenious  novelties  in  the  construction  of  our  con- 
veyance, we  found  that  the  axle,  now  worn  almost  in  two, 
was  secured  to  the  body  simply  by  strips  of  hide.  These 
ffraduallv  loosened  bv  the  alternations  of  wet  and  drv,  and 
the  violent  strain  to  which  they  were  subjected,  till  at  length 
the  axle  turned  completely  over,  and  thus  brought  so  large  a 
portion  of  the  load  on  to  the  heads  of  the  oxen  as  fairly  forced 
their  noses  into  the  dirt.  But  our  hombre  i^roved  himself 
equal  to  the  emergency;  and,  unyoking  the  oxen,  he  stationed 
Ohio  at  the  pole  to  hold  it  as  high  as  possible,  while  he  slipt 
under  the  cart  and  went  to  work  in  restoring  the  axle  to  its 
proper  jilace  with  a  readiness  and  dexterity  for  which  we  had 
not  given  him  credit. 

This  nice  and  difficult  operation  was  at  length  completed, 
but  our  hombre  still  showed  no  inclination  to  set  forward. 
TTe  questioned, — we  bribed, — we  exjiostulated  in  vain.  Ohio 
bitterly  lamented  his  ignorance  of  Spanish*,  which  prevented 
him  from  cursing  the  fellow  in  his  own  vocabulary,  but  bela- 
boured him  with  all  the  sturdy  English  oaths  he  could  muster, 
which  fell  on  his  imperturbable  stupidity  like  drops  of  rain  on 
the  hide  of  a  rhinoceros.  In  the  midst  of  the  shower  he  took 
from  the  cart  an  axe  no  bigger  than  a  hatchet,  with  a  handle 
four  feet  long,  and  disappeared  in  the  woods,  leaving  us  sit- 


AXD   Leaden    Realities.  319 

ting  on  a  rotten  log  and  hardly  knowing  whether  to  laugh  or 
cry. 

Si  examined  his  revolver  and  walked  on  ahead,  under  the 
pleasing  illusion  that  he  should  find  some  game  ;  the  others 
soon  followed,  leaving  us  in  charge  of  the  cart.  The  wheez- 
ing sounds  of  the  hombre's  axe  were  the  only  sounds  that 
disturbed  the  immense  silence  ;  except,  now  and  then,  we 
heard  the  far-oflf  halloo  of  some  half  frantic  driver  urging  on 
his  weary  cattle.  These  gradually  died  away  in  the  distance, 
and  we  were  left  entirely  alone.  But  such  hours  are  often 
the  most  dehghtful  periods  of  a  journey  like  ours.  We  forgot 
the  cities  we  had  past,  and  the  road  by  which  we  had  come 
so  far  ;  our  connection  with  the  world  seemed  broken,  and 
we  felt  like  a  man  who  had  climbed  to  the  moon  and  then 
thrown  down  the  ladder  by  which  he  had  ascended.  Robin- 
son Crusoe  in  his  desert  island, — a  frog  at  the  bottom  of  his 
well, — hardly  a  toad  in  his  lump  of  granite,  could  be  enclosed 
in  a  profounder  solitude.  I  tried  to  image  to  myself  the 
great  cities,  the  mighty  empires,  that  had  once  an  existence 
in  ray  brain  ;  but  the  feverish  pulsation  of  their  hearts,  and 
the  hum  and  stir  of  their  ceaseless  bustle,  were  neither  felt 
in  the  ground  nor  visible  in  the  sleeping  leaves. 

But  our  hombre  now  i*eturned,  and  put  to  flight  my  agree- 
able fancies.  Like  Robinson  Crusoe's  man  Friday,  his  appear- 
ance on  the  scene  at  once  dispelled  the  delightful  illusion — 
there  was  another  man  in  the  world,  and  if  one,  why  not  a 
thousand  ?  He  carried  on  his  shoulder  a  rough  stick  some 
six  feet  long,  which  we  at  once  conjectured  to  be  designed  for 
an  axle.  Our  fears  were  now  excited  lest  he  intended  to 
finish  it  before  proceeding  any  farther,  but  he  speedily  put 
an  eud  to  our  apprehensions  by  stowing  it  in  the  cart  ;  and, 
then,  reyoking  his  oxen,  we  once  more  found  ourselves  in 
motion. 

The  road,  since  leaving  Realejo,  had  been  remarkably 
level.     We  had  not  met  with  a  single  hill  worthy  of  the  name, 


k 


320  G  o  I.  u  E  N  Dreams 

and  were  not  a  little  surprised,  on  leaving  the  forest,  to  find 
ourselves  on  the  very  edge  of  a  lofty  and  precipitous  elevation 
and  overlooking  an  immense  extent  of  country.  As  far  as 
we  could  see,  the  surface  of  the  ground  was  broken  into  black 
irregular  ridges,  as  if  it  had  been  occupied,  for  ages,  by  suc- 
cessive generations  of  charcoal  burners,  or  had  been  turned 
up  into  huge  furrows  Ijy  the  careless  ploughing  of  some  clumsy 
Brobdiguagian  boor.  The  road  under  our  feet  was  almost  as 
hard  as  iron,  and  seemed  macadamized  with  scoria  from  a 
blacksmith's  forge.  At  a  little  distance  on  the  left  we  dis- 
covered what  seemed,  at  first  sight,  the  ruins  of  an  oven  or 
forge.  The  arch  yet  remained  nearly  entire,  resting  on  a  pile 
of  fragments  ;  and  it  required  no  great  effort  of  the  imagina- 
tion to  suppose  that  I  was  surveying  the  ruins  of  a  vast  and 
magnificent  city,  that,  by  some  fearful  convulsion  of  nature, 
had  been  reduced  to  this  state  of  utter  desolation.  This  fancy 
was  partly  true.  At  some  period,  apparently  not  very  remote, 
the  volcanoes  that  stood  around  the  horizon  had  combined  to 
lay  waste  the  beautiful  plain  at  their  feet.  In  place  of  the 
cool  green  forest,  a  mass  of  black,  naked  lava  now  presented 
itself,  that  seemed  hardly  to  want  tlic  touch  of  the  match  to 
burst  again  into  a  mighty  conflagration.  The  arch  that  vre 
had  seen,  was  formed  by  the  lava  cooling  round  the  prostrate 
trunk  of  a  huge  tree,  that  had  perished  in  its  embrace  like 
Semele  in  the  ai"ms  of  Jove. 

The  road  now  suddenly  descended  by  a  long  irregular 
flight  of  stairs  worn  in  the  crumbling  stone.  There  Avas  no 
po.^sibility  of  riding  even  if  we  had  been  willing  to  lose  the 
strange  novelty  of  the  scenery — the  wheels  fell  with  the  regu- 
li-.rity,  and  almost  with  the  force,  of  trip-hammers,  and  with  a 
decided,  uncompromising  jolt  that  threatened  the  immediate 
dislocation  of  the  axle.  Xear  the  bottom,  the  path  had  been 
worn,  as  if  by  a  winter  torrent,  into  a  deep  and  narrow  chan- 
nel, just  wide  enough  for  a  single  cart  ; — caves  liad  been 
hollowed  in  the  sides,   and  we  involuntarily  quickened  onr 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  321 

pace,  lest  Ave  should  be  crushed  beneath  the  overhang:ing 
banks.  Having  tlius  reached  the  foot  of  ttie  lofty  table  land 
on  which  we  had  been  travelling,  we  found  ourselves  on  the 
edge  of  a  wide  valley  that  held  the  lakes  Leon  and  Nicaragua 
in  its  lap,  and  stretched  one  arm,  by  the  San  Juan  river, 
away  to  the  Atlantic.  Little  of  the  country,  however,  was 
now  visible,  for  in  addition  to  the  thickening  twilight,  a  thun- 
der cloud  was  coming  rapidly  up  from  the  horizon,  and  soon 
filled  the  whole  heavens.  The  first  big  drops  began  to  fall. 
Ohio,  Texas,  and  New  York,  hastily  scrambled  into  the  cart ; 
and,  as  Si  and  myself  followed,  a  flash  of  lightning  gave  the 
signal  for  the  contest  to  commence,  and  was  instantly  extin- 
guished in  the  flood  itself  had  created.  The  rain,  the  thunder, 
and  the  lig'atning  that  now  followed  hard  after  us,  were  such 
as  are  met  with  only  in  the  tropics  ; — the  road  soon  became 
a  river  in  earnest,  and  as  the  lightning  flashed  on  the  swollen 
and  turbid  waters,  and  the  cart  rocked  and  pitched  with  even 
more  than  its  usual  violence,  it  recpiired  but  a  slight  exercise 
of  imagination  to  feel  that  we  were  in  a  storm  at  sea.  But 
the  cloud  having  given  us  tins  taste  of  its  quality,  swept  away, 
and  the  stars  came  out,  old  and  young,  in  their  pleasant 
family  circles.  There  was  yet  no  sign  of  human  habitation. 
"  Qiiantos  ligos  a  Managua  V  we  had  demanded  twenty  times, 
of  a  few  chance  travellers,  and  of  our  own  invaluable  hombre. 
One  replied  that  Managua  was  four  leagues  off  ;  and,  after 
travc'ir.ng  steadily  for  half  an  hour,  we  met  another  who  told 
us  it  was  six. 

At  length  we  discovered  the  lights  of  a  vi!lage,  and  Ohio, 
in  his  eagerness,  walked  on  before.  But  our  hombre,  instead 
of  stopping,  as  we  expected,  held  straiglit  on  his  course,  and 
to  our  impatient  inquiries,  ''  What  place  is  this  ?  Where  is 
Managua  ?"  as  curtly  answered,  "  Marteiris, — Managua, — 
qnatro  ligos."  Another  hoar  vre  dragged  on,  and  finally 
crossed  the  plaza  at  Managua  just  as  the  moon  had  climbed 
to  the  topmost  tower  of  the  cathedral. 
14* 


3'22  Golden-    D  i;  e  a  m  s 

Managua  is  a  pleasant  city  of  ten  or  fifteen  thousand 
inhabitants.  The  great  cathedral  is  situated,  like  that  at 
Leon,  on  one  side  of  the  plaza,  but  is  far  inferior  in  extent 
and  magnificence.  Our  hotel  also  stood  on  the  plaza  ;  but 
lest  the  reader  should  form  from  this  a  too  exalted  notion  of 
its  appearance,  I  wonld  add  that  it  contained  but  two  apart- 
ments, of  moderate  dimensions,  one  of  which  was  occupied  by 
the  family,  while  the  other  served  as  a  store-room  and  poultry 
house.  Tliere  was,  however,  in  the  rear,  a  broad  and  spa- 
cious verandah  where  we  ate  our  supper — after  which  we 
spread  om*  blankets  in  a  corner  of  the  poultry  house  with  a 
hen  and  brood  of  chickens  in  my  right  car,  and  a  duck  quack- 
ing softly  in  my  left. 

At  this  place  a  part  of  our  fellow-passengers  becoming 
impatient  of  the  slow  rate  at  which  we  travelled,  and  fearful 
lest  they  should  not  reach  San  Juan  in  season,  hired  horses 
for  the  remainder  of  the  journey — Xew  York  and  Texas  were 
among  the  number  ;  but  we  were  encumbered  with  too  much 
baggage  to  follow  their  examjile,  and  Ohio  had  bought  a 
whole  regiment  of  parrots  and  paroquets  that  required  his 
constant  supervision,  besides  costing  him  a  fortune  in  cages 
and  bananas,  which  they  ate  with  apparently  equal  relish. 

Our  hombre  was  occupied  several  hours  the  next  morning 
in  making  a  new  axle.  For  want  of  an  auger,  the  use  of 
which  simple  instrumeut  seemed  unknown  to  him,  he  was 
obliged  to  cut  the  holes  for  the  linchpins  with  a  chisel ;  and 
this,  in  his  hands,  was  a  long  and  tedious  operation.  It  was 
some  satisfaction,  however,  to  reflect  that  the  work  would  not 
require  to  be  done  over  again  until  he  reached  Granada,  and 
might  even  last  through  the  whole  of  his  homeward  journey. 

Our  road  led  to-day  for  several  miles  along  the  shore  of 
Lake  Leon.  This  is  a  large  body  of  water  resembling  an 
inland  sea  :  and  some  of  our  party,  deceived  by  its  extent, 
supposed  it,  at  first,  to  be  an  arm  of  the  ocean.  A  general  halt 
M-as  here  ordered,  and  our  hombres  and  muchachos,  throwing 


AND   Leaden   Realities.  323 

olf  their  light  garments,  were  soon  disporting  themselves  in 
the  shallow  water.  They  enjoyed  this  exercise  so  keenly,  that 
it  was  with  great  difficulty  we  persuaded  them  to  resume  their 
march. 

We  stopped  this  night  at  Marsawa,  a  city  of  about  the 
same  size  as  Managua  ;  and  the  next  afternoon  made  our 
entry  into  Granada.  It  was  Sunday,  and  the  inhabitants, 
dressed  in  their  best,  were  sitting  in  the  open  doors  of  their 
houses,  exhibiting  marks  of  greater  opulence  and  refinement 
than  we  had  yet  witnessed.  The  grace  and  beauty  of  the 
women  especially  attracted  our  attention, — we  seemed  sud- 
denly brought  near  to  home,  and  to  have  been,  all  at  once, 
set  down  in  the  midst  of  the  nineteenth  century,  after  so  long 
travelling  in  mediaeval  darkness. 

Granada,  as  already  stated,  is  situated  on  Lake  Nica- 
ragua, and  connected  by  the  San  Juan  river  with  the 
Atlantic.  It  has  thus  become  the  great  inland  market 
for  that  part  of  Central  America.  The  various  goods  im- 
ported into  the  country  are  brought  up  the  river  and  across 
the  lake  in  huge  canoes,  or  in  boats  of  the  heaviest  and  most 
awkward  construction.  There  were  also  three  small  schooners 
ou  the  lake  about  the  size  of  a  common  pleasure-boat,  and 
capable  of  carrying  thirty  men  apiece  ;  but  not  one  of  these 
was  at  that  time  at  Granada,  though  they  had  been  sent  for 
at  the  first  intimation  of  our  approach,  and  were  expected  to 
arrive  in  one  or  two  days. 

In  the  mean  time  a  numbei  of  our  companions,  impatient 
of  the  delay,  and  deceived  by  the  statements  of  interested 
parties,  who  assured  them  that  that  mode  of  conveyance  was 
much  to  be  preferred,  embarked  in  one  of  the  canoes  for  a 
voyage  of  ninety  miles  across  a  body  of  water  famed  for  its 
sudden  and  capricious  temper.  We  were  strongly  tempted  to 
follow  their  example,  but  finally  concluded  to  remain  at  Gra- 
nada until  the  arrival  of  the  schooners,  which  were  now  ex- 
pected to  arrive  every  hour.     The  hotel  where  we  had  takeq 


o'2  1  G  0  L  D  K  N    Dreams 

lodgings  was  very  spacious  and  commodious.  It  would  not 
indeed  equal  the  St.  Nicholas  in  citlier  of  these  particulars, 
but  may  well  deserve  that  distinction  when  compared  with 
tlic  others  we  had  visited  daring  our  route.  Tliere  was  not 
only  a  dining-room  capable  of  accommodating  one  hundred 
guests,  but  there  were  several  sleeping  apartments  of  like 
generous  proportions,  and  furnished  with  cot  bedsteads,  a 
luxm-y  to  which  we  had  been  lately  wholly  unaccustomed. 
Except  at  the  little  village  of  Xigarote,  we  had  slept  on  no- 
thing softer  than  the  floor  for  weeks,  and  we  at  first  folt  some 
alarm  at  the  thought  of  such  an  unnatural  elevation.  All 
these  apartments  were  on  the  ground  floor,  and,  with  the 
kitchen  and  outhouses,  entirely  surrounded  an  open  court 
about  a  hundred  feet  square. 

The  price  of  board  at  this  hotel  was  one  dollar  a  day,  and 
for  this  we  had  an  abundance  of  tough  beef  cooked  with  gar- 
lic, beans,  French  rolls,  coffee  and  milk.  We  had  also,  by 
way  of  variety,  a  few  eggs  and  chickens,  and  a  very  limited 
supply  of  butter. 

Granada  presents  little  attraction  to  the  stranger^ — on  one 
side  was  the  deep  forest  tiirough  which  we  had  travelled — on 
the  other  a  burning  plain,  with  a  few  scattered  houses, 
stretching  two  miles  away  to  the  lake.  Owing  to  the  intense 
heat,  we  remained  most  of  the  time  at  our  hotel,  lounging  in 
the  hammocks  slung  under  the  veranda,  or  watching  from 
tlie  steps  of  the  dining-room  the  lazy  groups  of  the  natives,  or 
our  own  more  fiery  Saxons,  as  they  hurried  hither  and  thither 
on  some  important  trifle. 

iS'o  exhiiDition  of  passion  is  perhaps  more  amusing  than 
that  of  a  dispute  between  two  Spaniards.  Such  volubility  of 
utterance,  such  nervous  flexibility  of  feature,  such  jerking 
spitcfulness  of  emphasis,  can  nowhere  find  a  parallel,  except  in 
the  nocturnal  colloquy  of  half  a  dozen  enamoured  grimalkins. 
A  quarrel,  the  merits  of  which  wc  could  not  determine,  arose 
one  day  between  our  landlord  and  another  of  the  same  gun- 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  325 

powder  fraternity.  One  of  Hoe's  eight-cylinder  printing 
presses  could  hardly  have  kept  pace  with  the  impetuous  tor- 
rent of  words  that  streamed  quivering  fi'om  their  lips — our 
sluggish  consonants,  compared  with  their  nimble  vowels,  are 
like  the  mailed  crusader  opposed  to  the  lithe  and  supple  Sara- 
cen, when  the  greatest  danger  arises  from  the  rapidity  of  the 
onset.  After  keeping  up  a  continuous  fire  of  words,  like  a 
rolling  discharge  of  musketry  or  a  redhot  poker  sizzling  in  a 
pail  of  water,  for  some  ten  minutes,  our  landlord  suddenly 
seized  a  gun  that  stood  in  one  corner  of  the  bar,  and  levelled 
it  with  an  expression  of  most  determined  ferocity  at  his  va- 
pourhig  antagonist.  The  admiring  Californiaus,  instantly 
opening  to  right  and  left,  displayed  a  narrow  lane,  at  the  end 
of  which  was  discovered  the  cunning  Spaniard  prostrate  on 
all  fours,  and  warily  exposing  to  the  fire  of  the  enemy  that 
part  of  his  person  which  instinct,  or  perhaps  experience,  had 
taught  him  was  best  calculated .  to  meet  the  assault.  The 
next  moment,  by  a  skilful  side  movement,  he  precipitated 
himself  down  the  steps  into  the  street. — Our  landlord,  with  a 
grim  smile  of  satisfaction,  restored  the  gun  to  its  place,  and 
the  storm  cleared  away  as  rapidly  as  it  commenced. 


326  G  O  I.  D  K  N     D  K  E  A  M  S 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 

TUESDAY,  oue  of  the  scboouers  arrived,  and  sailed  again, 
the  same  evening,  with  a  full  complement  of  passengers 
Another  arrived  the  next  day,  and  all  of  our  party  succeeded, 
■with  some  difficulty,  in  obtaining  tickets.  After  crossing  the 
lake  to  the  village  of  San  Carlos,  situated  at  the  head  of  the 
San  Juan  river,  we  were  to  Ijc  transferred  to  canoes  which 
would  take  us  to  San  Juan,  where  we  hoped  to  obtain  a  pas- 
sage home  in  one  of  Yanderbilt's  steamers.  The  fare  for  the 
whole  voyage  was  sixteen  dollars  apiece,  and  we  were  obliged 
to  furnisli  our  own  provisions.  As  under  unfavourable  cir- 
cumstances the  trip  might  occupy  a  week,  we  laid  in  a  store 
of  bread  and  cheese,  sugar,  and  cocoauuts,  sufficient  to  guard 
against  all  danger  of  starvation,  and  Wednesday  evening, 
followed  by  several  natives,  carrying  our  luggage,  we  walked 
down  to  the  lake.     . 

In  order  to  take  advantage  of  the  breeze  that  usually 
sprung  up  at  nightfall,  it  was  intended  to  set  sail  at  once, 
but  on-e  delay  after  another  interfered  to  prevent.  The  little 
bread-trough  which  was  to  transport  us  to  the  schooner  had 
made  only  three  trips,  carrying  two  passengers  each  time, 
when  there  burst  upon  us  such  a  sudden  squall  of  wind  and 
rain  as  at  once  put  a  stop  to  our  embarkation.  In  a  few 
minutes  the  lake  exhibited  all  the  phenomena  of  a  miniature 
storm.  The  bread-trough  was  capsized  and  flung  bottom 
upwards  on  the  beach.     Even  our  long  experience  on  two 


AND   Leaden   Realities.  327 

oceans  was  not  sufficient  to  depi'Ive  the  scene  entirely  of  its. 
terrors.  The  little  schooner  tossed  frantically  at  its  anchor, 
and  we  could  plainly  see  one  unfortunate  already  paying  to 
tliis  humbler  deity  that  tribute  which  we  had  hitherto  consid- 
ered the  indefeasible  right  of  Neptune  himself. 

As  it  was  just  as  impossible  for  those  on  board  to  return 
to  land  as  it  was  for  us  to  reach  the  schooner,  we  were 
obliged  to  leave  them  to  their  fate,  and  make  the  best  of  our 
way  back  to  the  hotel.  The  landlord,  so  far  from  manifesting 
any  pleasure  at  our  unexpected  return,  received  us  with  tliat 
sublime  indifference  that  characterizes  the  keeper  of  a  Spanish 
hotel,  and  seems  almost  the  only  remnant  of  Castilian  pride 
now  to  be  found  in  this  their  adopted  country. 

The  next  morning  the  sky  was  more  propitious,  and  we  set 
sail  about  ten  with  a  gentle  breeze  that  pushed  us  slowly  out 
into  the  lake.  Besides  the  crew,  which  consisted  of  only  the 
captain  and  one  man,  who  was  mate,  foremast  hand,  and  cook, 
there  were  thirty  passengers,  each  provided  with  his  bag  of 
provisions.  Nearly  one  half  of  the  number  contrived  to  find 
room  in  the  little  cabin,  which  was  about  the  size  of  a  New 
York  omnibus,  like  that  miraculous  invention  was  never  full, 
and  possessed  of  the  same  unaccountable  propensity  to  knock 
two  heads  together,  to  the  infinite  detriment  of  their  hats  and 
their  good  temper.  I  remained  all  the  time  on  deck,  exposed 
to  the  scorching  sun,  by  turns,  and  the  pelting  rain. 

Towards  evening  the  breeze  freshened,  and  I  began  to  feel 
all  the  symptoms  of  genuine  sea-sickness.  In  spite  of  all  my 
efforts,  I  could  not  disguise  from  myself  the  mortifying  infir- 
mity. It  is  really  worth  while  to  be  sea-sick  at  sea,  and  when 
one  is  just  starting  on  a  long  voyage.  One  feels  so  much  jjet- 
ter  after  it,  and  as  if  he  had  thus  purchased  an  exemption 
from  all  farther  molestation,  and  had  a  perfect  right  to  eat, 
drink,  and  be  merry.  Besides,  there  is  a  consonancy  in  the 
ideas  as  in  the  very  words — this  sort  of  ordeal  through  which 
we  are  required  to  pass  before  being  initiated  into  the  Nep- 


S2S  Golden    Drkamr 

tunian  mysteries  is  like  those  fearful  preliminnry  tests  which 
the  aspirant  after  masonic  honours  is  oblijrecl  to  undercco. 

It  is  well  worthy  the  greatness  and  majesty  of  the  sea.  It 
is  a  price  worth  paying  for  the  immunity  it  confers.  Xo  one 
who  is  bound  on  a  voyage  of  four  or  five  months  can  reason- 
ably complain  because  his  probation  extends  over  as  many 
(Inys  or  even  weeks.  What  though  he  is  sultjected  to  a  con- 
stant process  of  sulitraction — to  a  continual  drain  of  life  and 
energy — has  he  not  all  the  rost  of  tlie  voyage  to  repair  his 
losses  and  replace  his  sickly,  effieminate  habit  with  that  health 
and  robustness  which  salt  junk  and  pilot  bread  are  so  espe- 
cially fitted  to  impart  ? 

But  on  a  little  bit  of  fresh  water  the  case  is  widely  differ- 
ent. In  the  first  place,  there  is  no  time  to  be  sick,  with  aTiy 
sort  of  decency  or  satisfaction.  Those  things  demand  careful 
preparation,  and  that  kind  of  dexterity  that  can  only  be 
acquired  by  long  habit.  But  here  one  no  sooner  gets  thor- 
ouglily  into  the  midst  of  a  fit  of  sickness,  and  begins  to  feel 
as  if  he  were  used  to  it,  and  to  discover  those  little  ameliora- 
tions that  naturally  suggest  themselves,  than  the  keel  grates 
on  the  gravel,  and  no  less  harshly  on  his  cars,  and  there  is  an 
end.  All  that  you  have  suffered  goes  for  nothing.  You  have 
been  exposed  to  all  this  sliame  and  ignominy,  without  any  of 
the  consolatory  dignity  that  was  to  follow.  You  have  been 
displaying  all  the  helpless  peevishness  of  a  child,  and  have 
lost  the  opportunity  of  retrieving  your  character  by  a  conva- 
lescent philosophy.  You  are  like  an  unlucky  knight  who  has 
had  the  worst  in  a  duel,  but  is  just  about  to  regain  the  advan- 
tage, when  the  umpire  throws  down  his  staff  and  puts  an  end 
to  the  combat. 

Among  the  pleasant  hills  of  classic  Berkshire  there  dwelt 
whilom  two  sturdy  mountaineers,  known  far  and  wide  by  the 
honoured  names  of  Lije  Harris  and  H'al  Dowd.  Both  were 
renowned  champions  in  the  noble  and  ancient  art  of  wrestling, 
wbicb,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  is  no  longer  regarded  in  these  d&- 


AND   Leaden   Realities.  329 

generate  days  with  that  honour  awarded  to  it  by  our  more 
chivalrous  ancestors. 

But  the  fame  of  Hial  Dowd  was  greater  than  the  fame  of 
Lije  Harris — if  one  was  Ajax,  the  other  was  Achilles.  In 
many  encounters  between  them  Hial  had  established  his  supe- 
riority ;  and,  henceforth  holding  himself  superior  to  all  his 
former  competitors,  lie  waited  until  another  should  arise  more 
worthy  of  his  arm. 

But,  as  generally  happens  in  such  cases,  the  defeated  party 
was  not  so  easily  satisfied.  He  felt  that  he  was  quite  as  good 
as  Hial  Dowd,  and  in  fact  a  little  better,  and  only  wanted  an 
opportunity  to  retrieve  his  lost  honour.  On  a  certain  militia 
muster,  when  the  young  men  from  the  adjacent  villages  were 
occupied,  as  usual,  in  various  athletic  sports,  the  magnani- 
mous Lije,  inly  grieving  at  his  disgrace,  proposed  to  Zeke 
Brown,  Ajax  the  less,  a  stratagem  to  draw  out  the  Achilles 
of  the  playground  from  his  long  inactivity.  Lije  was  to 
wrestle  with  Zeke  three  times  in  succession,  and  at  the  first 
encounter  permit  himself  to  be  thrown.  He  would  then  proTe 
victorious  in  the  two  remaining  trials,  and  the  acclamations 
that  would  be  seen  to  proclaim  his  triurapli  could  hardly  fail 
to  arouse  the  envy  of  his  great  rival. 

Zeke  readily  acceded  to  this  proposal,  and  Lije,  according 
to  their  preconcerted  arrangement,  was  soon  brought  to  the 
ground,  to  the  infinite  amusement  of  all  the  beholders.  But 
quickly  he  regained  his  feet,  and  was  about  to  renew  the 
combat,  with  victory  already  in  his  eye,  when  the  perfidious 
Zeke,  with  unparalleled  turpitude,  coolly  observed,  "Wall, 
I  guess  that  'ill  do  for  to-day;  I'll  wait  till  somebody  better 
comes  along." 

The  horror  and  confusion  of  the  unhappy  Lijah  can  be 
better  imagined  than  described.  Equally  to  be  pitied  is  the 
unlucky  wretch  who  presumes  to  wrestle  with  a  two-days' 
lake — he  is  sure  to  be  vanquished  in  the  first  encounter,  and 
will  seldom  have  an  opportunity  for  a  second. 


830  Golden    Dreams 

Besides,  it  is  so  ridiculous  to  be  sea-sick,  with  land  visible 
on  ever}'  side — so  irrelevant  and  illogical.  Then  is  the  firm 
ground  only  a  few  miles  away — the  merest  touch  of  which 
would  effect  as  great  a  marvel  as  for  Antasus  in  his  famous 
wrestling  match  with  Hercules  (Hercules  no  doubt  imperso- 
nating the  sea) ;  it  seems  so  easy  to  get  to  it,  and  the  motive 
is  so  strong,  that  one  lies  filled  with  uneasy  wonder  that  he 
does  not  make  the  attempt.  It  is  as  absurd  for  this  little 
puddle  to  usurp  the  prerogative  of  the  ocean,  as  for  a  homoe- 
opath to  claim  the  dignity  of  an  allopathic  physician.  I  have 
no  more  right  to  be  sick  in  the  one  case  than  to  be  cured  la 
the  other.  It  is  a  positive  insult  to  my  good  sense  to  pre- 
sume such  a  thing. 

Fall  of  these  reflections  I  rolled  myself  in  my  Ijlankets, 
and,  stretched  on  my  back  in  the  stern  of  our  little  craft,  de- 
termined, at  all  events,  not  to  be  sick  until  I  saw  a  chance  of 
dohig  it  with  some  credit  and  respectability.  The  night 
passed  heavily.  Several  times  a  huge  wave  rolling  after 
would  overtop  the  low  bulwarks  and  come  surging  in  upon 
us,  almost  floating  me  from  my  resting  place,  and  putting  to 
flight  my  uneasy  slumbers.  I  caught  at  such  times  brief 
glimpses  of  lofty,  cone-shaped  mountains — of  short,  chopping 
waves,  white  with  foam — of  our  bellying  sails,  and  of  certain 
grotesque  forms  lying  on  the  little  deck  outstretched  and 
motionless. 

The  morning's  sun  dried  our  clothes,  and  lighting  up 
mountain  and  promontory,  one  after  another,  we  began  to 
look  about  us  to  see  if  we  could  discover  any  signs  of  our 
place  of  destination.  We  had  been  running  all  night  with  a 
favourable  breeze,  and  San  Carlos  could  not  be  far  distant. 
Great  then  were  our  surprise  and  indignation  to  find  that 
our  captain,  instead  of  taking  advantage  of  the  wind,  had 
acted  on  nearly  the  same  principle  as  our  early  Dutch  navi- 
gators before  mentioned,  and,  fearful  of  running  down  a  con- 
tinent in  the  dark,  had  done  nothing  but  tack  back  and  forth 


AND   Leaden   Realities.  331 

all  night.  It  was  a  still  more  aggravating  discovery  that  he 
was  entirely  ignorant  of  his  course— having,  as  he  said  in 
excuse,  sailed  this  way  only  three  times  before.  Though  we 
could  not  admit  the  validity  of  this  plea,  as  the  shores  of  the 
lake  were  of  the  most  marked  and  striking  character,  so  that 
once  seen  they  ought  never  to  be  forgotten,  yet  we  were 
obliged  to  submit  ourselves  to  circumstances,  and  accede  to 
his  proposition  to  lie  to  opposite  a  house  we  saw  not  far 
from  the  shore  and  obtain  the  necessary  information  of  the 
inhabitants. 

After  halloomg  till  we  were  hoarse,  we  had  the  satisfac- 
tion of  seeing  a  party  of  natives  come  down  to  the  shore  and 
push  off  into  the  lake.  By  dint  of  violent  and  long-continued 
rowing  they  at  length  brought  their  clumsy  canoe  alongside, 
and  then  a  few  words  sufficed  to  tell  the  whole  story.  We 
were  to  round  a  certain  headland  they  pointed  out  to  us,  and 
afterwards  hold  a  straight  course  to  San  Carlos. 

Having  bought  a  few  oranges  they  had  thrown  into  their 
boat,  we  left  them  to  make  the  b=st  of  their  way  back  to  the 
shore  ;  and  once  more  filling  our  sails,  we  rounded  the  inter- 
vening headland,  and  just  at  dark  run  our  schooner  up  within 
a  few  yards  of  the  beach  at  San  Carlos.  A  large  open  shed, 
or  rather  roof  of  palm-leaf,  supported  by  tall  naked  posts, 
seemed  to  have  waded  rather  timidly  out  into  the  lake.  While 
we  regarded  with  dismay  the  waves  rolling  with  considerable 
violence  up  into  this  building,  and  wondered  how  we  were  to 
get  to  laud,  a  party  of  natives  darted  out  into  the  surf,  and 
for  the  moderate  sum  of  one  real  offered  to  carry  us  ashore 
on  their  shoulders.  One  of  the  riders,  heavier  or  not  so  well 
mounted  as  the  rest,  was  precipitated  headlong  into  the  lake, 
to  our  unmingled  delight  and  approbation  ;  but  the  unlucky 
native,  who  had  been  the  cause  and  partner  of  his  mishap, 
no  sooner  regained  his  feet  than  he  fled  up  into  the  town 
without  once  stopping  to  look  behind  him. 

We  all  followed  at  our  leisure,  in  anxious  search  for  supper 


332  GoLDEK    Dreams 

and  loLlging.  It  was  long  before  we  succeeded  in  finding 
either,  and  then  they  were  not  at  all  to  our  satisfaction  ;  but 
as  we  had  a  suspicion,  in  spite  of  the  darkness,  that  San  Car- 
los was  an3-thing  but  a  city  of  palaces,  we  resolved  to  make 
the  best  of  what  we  had  lest  we  might  go  farther  and  fare 
worse. 

We  slept  on  the  floor — that  is,  on  the  bare  ground — in 
the  kitchen  or  living  room  of  the  family  ;  while  in  an  adjoin- 
ing apartment,  separated  from  ours  only  by  a  slight  partition 
of  bamboo  hardly  as  high  as  our  heads,  a  woman  lay  dying 
of  the  yellow  fever.  In  the  morning  we  had  an  opportunity 
of  surveying  the  town  to  Ijctter  advantage.  It  consists  of  a 
small  collection  of  hovels,  with  two  decent  houses,  clustered 
irregularly  together  at  the  base  and  on  the  side  of  a  low  steep 
hill.  The  damp  and  unwholesome  vegetation — the  water  ooz- 
ing out  of  the  ground  at  every  step — the  filthy  streets  and 
doorways — are  not  calculated  to  give  the  stranger  a  very 
favourable  impression  of  the  beauty  or  salubrity  of  San  Car- 
los ;  and  I  am  persuaded  that  the  longer  he  remained,  the 
more  eager  he  would  be  to  depart.  On  the  hill  above  the 
town  stands  the  imi)ortant  fortress  of  San  Carlos,  as  I  have 
since  seen  it  denominated  by  some  of  our  sage  political  writers 
at  home.  This  important  fortress  consists  of  an  almost 
obliterated  rampart,  defended  by  a  single  rusty  cannon, 
whicli  would  Ije  far  more  dangerous  to  its  friends  than  its 
enemies. 

However,  in  a  military  point  of  view,  this  place  may,  for 
aught  I  know,  be  of  the  utmost  importance  ;  but  to  the  trav- 
elling tourist,  whether  he  goes  iii  search  of  the  picturesque, 
or  only  seeks  to  gratify  his  curiosity  or  appetite,  it  is  of  all  the 
most  uninviting.  It  is,  in  fact,  a  cross  between  barbarism 
and  civilization,  and  the  worst  features  of  both  the  parents 
are  plainly  discernible  in  this  mongrel  offspring. 

We  were  naturally  desirous  to  leave  a  place  of  which  we 
had  formed  so  ill  an  opinion  as  soon  as  possible,  but  we  were 


1 


AND    L  E  A  D  p:  :v    Realities.  333 

not  allowed  to  govern  our  own  movements.  We  were  left  to 
the  mercy  of  a  race  of  men  to  wliora  procrastination  is  a 
virtue,  and  haste  a  crime,  if  not  a  folly.  Having  cooked  and 
eaten  their  breakfast — a  mess  of  beef  and  plantains  boiled 
together  in  a  huge  iron  kettle — they  were  now  busy — not 
busy  either,  but  employed,  though  even  that  is  too  strong  a 
word — in  preparing  the  boats  that  were  to  carr}''  us  down  the 
river.  Tiiese  were  rude  canoes  or  dugouts,  very  long  and 
narrow,  and  capable  in  smooth  water  of  carrying  ten  men 
apiece  with  tolerable  comfort  and  security.  As  we  had  one 
more  than  that  number  of  passengers  in  the  canoe  that  fell 
to  our  lot,  and  five  native  boatmen  besides,  we  contemplated 
with  no  little  uneasiness  the  prospect  of  a  voyage  of  a  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles  down  a  rapid  river. 

About  ten  o'clock  all  was  in  readiness,  and  we  proceeded 
with  the  utmost  caution  and  calculation  to  stow  ourselves  in 
the  canoe.  Four  of  the  Indians,  who  were  to  act  as  rowers, 
sat  in  the  head  of  the  boat.  Next  to  them  was  an  equal 
number  of  our  fellow-passengers,  with  whom  we  had  no  further 
acquaintance  ;  the  patron  or  pilot  sat  in  the  stern  with  an 
American  who  was  residing  in  the  country,  and  our  own  party 
occupied  the  middle.  It  was  necessary  to  sit  perfectly  still, 
as  the  slightest  motion  caused  the  boat  to  roll,  bringing  the 
oars  on  one  side  down  into  the  water,  and  calling  forth  an 
impatient  exclamation  from  all  the  boatmen  at  once  of  "  para 
bota,"  "  trim  boat."  When  this  state  of  things  was  no  longer 
tolerable,  we  all  moved  in  concert  the  arm  or  leg  that  gave 
us  the  most  uneasiness,  and  again  settling  into  our  places  sat 
like  breathing  statues  for  another  hour. 

We  moved  slowly  up  the  lake  a  short  distance,  and  then 
rounding  a  narrow  point  of  land  found  ourselves  in  the  San 
Juan.  Our  boatmen  rowed  a  few  hundred  yards  till  the  canoe 
fairly  felt  the  force  of  the  rapid  current,  and  then,  raising 
their  oars  from  the  water,  and  fixing  thera  in  that  position  by 
fastening  the  ends  to  the  opposite  side,  they  produced  a  stock 


334  Golden    Dueams 

of  plantains  that  was  perfectly  alarming,  and  began  to  eat  as 
if  they  had  not  tasted  anything  for  a  week.  As  it  was  only 
two  or  three  hours  since  they  had  devoured  a  hearty  break- 
fast, and  no  one  could  see  their  naked  bellies  without  thinking 
of  Prince  Hal's  question,  "  How  long  is  it,  Jack,  since  thou 
hast  seen  thine  own  knees  ?"  we  naturally  felt  some  impatience 
at  this  delay,  but  our  remonstrances  might  as  well  have  been 
addressed  to  the  trees  on  the  bank. 

Having  eaten  enough  for  a  dozen  men,  and  being  at  length 
obliged  to  stop  from  sheer  repletion,  instead  of  returning  to 
their  duty,  as  we  had  fondly  imagined,  they  simply  varied 
their  performances  in  a  manner  highly  suggestive  of  the  re- 
nowned Saucho  Panza,  from  whom  they  were  perhaps  lineally 
descended.  After  an  hour  spent  in  these  alternations  they 
resumed  their  oars ;  oar  canoe,  which  had  been  drifting  broad- 
side to  the  current,  was  once  more  headed  down  the  stream, 
and  we  glided  along  under  these  combined  influences  at  a 
speed  varying  from  five  to  eight  miles  an  hour.  Having  by 
this  time  arranged  ourselves  in  as  comfortable  a  position  as 
was  attainable  under  the  cu'cumstauces,  we  were  at  leisure  to 
take  note  of  what  was  passing.  On  either  side  a  tangled  and 
matted  forest  crowded  close  down  to  the  river's  brim.  Vines 
of  the  utmost  vigour  and  luxuriance  hung  in  graceful  folds 
from  the  tallest  trees,  or  presented  an  almost  solid  wall  of 
verdure  as  even  as  if  it  had  been  trained  over  an  artificial 
trellise.  The  monotony  of  the  banks  was  interrupted  only 
by  shady  coves  or  inlets,  just  wide  enough  to  admit  a  canoe, 
and,  by  their  mysterious  windings,  offering  a  strange  tempta- 
tion to  the  curious  imagination. 

We  met  also  one  or  two  parties  of  natives  slowly  toiling 
up  the  stream,  keeping  close  to  the  shore  to  avoid  the  current 
that  swept  us  pro.sperously  onward,  and  now  and  then  resting 
from  their  labour  by  mooring  their  canoe  to  the  overhanging 
branches.  With  these  our  boatmen  never  failed  to  exchange 
greetings  and  inquiries,  somewhat  in  the  fashion  of  two  ships 


AND   Leaden    Realities,  335 

speaking  each  other  at  sea  ;  and  the  novelty  of  then-  accent 
and  intonation  was  nowhere  else  so  striking. 

Lot  tlie  reader  pronounce  the  word  banana,  placing  very 
little  stress  on  the  first  and  last  syllables,  and  commencing 
the  second  with  a  sudden  expiration — then  dying  gradually 
away  throngh  all  the  notes  of  the  gamut,  from  the  highest  to 
the  lowest,  and  he  will  obtain  a  very  correct  idea  of  a  Spanish 
hail  or  halloo.  When  three  or  four  on  each  side  were  thus 
joining  their  voices  in  anything  but  concert,  the  effect,  if  not 
harmonious,  was  in  the  highest  degree  amusing. 

It  was  long  after  sunset  when  we  arrived  at  the  upper 
rapids ;  and,  as  our  pilot  was  unwilling  to  venture  through 
them  in  the  dark,  we  were  obhged  to  lie  to  until  morning. 
The  place  selected  for  this  purpose  had  formerly  been  occupied 
as  a  trading  establishment — the  skeletons  of  two  small  build- 
ings still  stood  near  the  bank  in  the  middle  of  a  narrow  clear- 
ing, and  half-a-dozen  barrels  scattered  about  plainly  showed 
what  had  been  the  nature  of  the  traffic.  The  ground  was 
thoroughly  soaked  with  the  rain  that  was  still  falling,  and 
every  drop  as  it  touched  the  earth  seemed  to  hatch  into  a 
monstrous  mosquito,  and  every  mosquito  seemed  to  say  or  sing, 
with  true  Spanish  accent,  that  she  did  not  get  such  a  chance 
every  day  in  the  year,  and  meant  to  make  the  most  of  it. 
The  woods  crowded  around  us  as  close  as  they  dared,  and  like 
a  pack  of  wolves  seemed  only  waiting  till  they  could  muster 
courage  to  make  a  sudden  dash.  At  no  great  distance  we 
heard  the  roaring  of  wild  beasts,  and  could  easily  imagine  we 
saw  their  eyes  glaring  at  us  out  of  the  thick  damp  darkness. 
Never  apparently  had  we  been  in  such  evil  plight,  at  least  on 
land  ;  but  in  a  short  time  we  succeeded  in  effecting  a  won- 
derful transformation.  After  exhausting  entreaty,  we  pre- 
vailed upon  one  of  the  natives  by  a  bribe  of  half-a-dollar  to 
strike  a  fire  by  means  of  the  flint  and  tinder  which  they  com- 
monly carry  about  them.  There  was  no  want  of  fuel — a  scrap 
of  paper  first  received  the  divine  fire,  and  communicated  it  in 


336  Golden   Dueams 

turn  to  splinters  of  tlie  palm  leaf  that  foniicd  the  thatch.  "We 
gently  nursed  the  infant  blaze  villi  withered  twigs  till  it  had 
gained  strength  and  confidence  to  grapple  with  the  staves  of 
the  barrels,  and  lock  them  in  its  mortal  embrace.  A  thick 
log,  big  enough  to  keep  it  burning  all  night,  was  then  placed 
upon  the  top — the  smoke  soon  banished  the  mosquitoes,  and 
the  most  cheerful  and  benign  light  put  to  flight  all  our  gloomy 
fancies.  Bringing  in  huge  armfuls  of  palm  leaves  from  the 
fallen  roof  of  one  of  the  houses,  we  spread  them  thickly  over 
the  floor  of  that  which  was  still  standing  ;  and  with  our  feet 
to  the  fire,  spikewise,  as  Eothen  has  it,  one  by  one  fell  oflf  to 
sleep. 

Waking  in  the  grey  of  the  morning,  we  combed  quantities 
of  slimy  snails  out  of  our  hair  with  our  fingers,  and  again 
taking  our  stations  in  the  canoe,  were  directly  sucked  into 
the  rapids.  Clinging  nervously  to  the  sides  of  the  canoe,  and 
peering  out  into  the  dim  tv/ilight,  we  saw  nothing  but  whirling 
eddies,  sunken  rocks  starting  up  to  meet  us,  and  waves  white 
v:'iih  foam.  Suddenly  a  huge  billow,  that  seemed  to  have 
been  lurking  in  ambush  near  the  shore,  darted  out  directly 
upon  our  beam.  For  a  moment  my  heart,  as  the  saying  is, 
was  in  my  mouth, — the  rowers  also  seemed  paralyzed  and 
stopped  rowing.  I  thought  of  the  weight  I  carried  about  me, 
and  calculated  how  long  I  should  probably  be  in  getting  to 
tlie  bottom.  But  all  was  over  in  le.«s  time  than  it  has  taken 
to  write  a  single  line — nobody  stirred,  and  the  wave,  after 
emptying  a  few  pailfuls  of  water  over  the  gunwale,  sunk  sud- 
denly beneath  the  surface,  and  the  ne.\t  moment  we  entered 
the  comparatively  smooth  water  below. 

The  remaining  rapids  had  nothing  to  excite  any  apprehen- 
sions, and  we  passed  them  with  contemptuous  indifference.  All 
day  long  we  slid  down  the  glassy  river.  About  nine  in  the 
evening  our  canoe  drew  up  into  a  little  stream,  tributary  to 
the  San  Juan,  at  a  spot  which  had  been  selected  by  a  Ger- 
man emigrant  as  suitable  for  a  sugar  plantation.    He  had  been 


AND    Leaden    Realities.  337 

here  only  a  short  time,  and  every  thing  was  yet  in  a  rude, 
uncivilized  state  ;  but  he  gave  us  a  most  glowing  account 
of  the  wealth  of  the  soil  and  the  favourable  nature  of  the 
climate.  His  plantation  consisted  of  several  thousand  acres, 
a  very  small  proportion  of  which  was  under  cultivation,  but 
enough  to  show  that  no  land  in  the  world  is  better  adapted 
to  that  purpose. 

He  gave  us  for  supper  a  cup  of  tea  and  two  slices  of  salt 
pork  perhaps  twice  as  big  as  a  dollar  ;  and  as  we  furnished 
our  own  bread,  he  charged  us  only  half-a-dollar  apiece.  The 
mosquitoes  were  as  thick  as,  what  shall  I  say?  as  thick  as 
molasses  ;  and  as  we  crowded  into  the  smoke  of  the  fire  under 
the  shed  that  served  him  for  a  kitchen,  to  avoid  their  extor- 
tion, I  made  a  rapid  calculation  of  the  probable  number  on 
his  whole  plantation,  and  came  to  the  conclusion  that  if  these 
creatures  possessed  any  appreciable  value,  however  small,  our 
host  must  be  by  all  odds  the  wealthiest  proprietor  in  the  whole 
world. 

After  resting  here  an  hour,  we  were  glad  to  return  to  the 
canoe,  where  they  did  not  venture  to  follow  us.  A  sip  of 
brandy  and  the  coolness  of  the  night  gave  our  boatmen  fresh 
energy — their  oars  fell  with  more  regular  cadence,  and  early 
Sunday  morning  we  entered  the  harbour  of  San  Juan,  two 
weeks  after  leaving  the  shores  of  the  Pacific.  The  harbour  is 
very  shallow,  and  our  boatmen  were  several  times  obliged  to 
jump  into  the  water  to  push  us  over  the  bars  ;  but  our  canoe 
was  at  length  drawn  up  safely  on  the  beach,  in  the  midst  of  a 
large  number  of  others,  all  pointing  to  the  town.  Many  of 
our  companions  had  already  arrived,  and  the  rest  made  their 
appearance  the  next  day,  except  the  party  already  mentioned, 
who  had  been  the  first  to  leave  Granada.  Day  after  day 
passed  without  bringing  any  tidings,  and  we  began  to  fear 
that  they  had  been  lost  on  the  lake,  when  the  following  Sun- 
day, a  week  after  our  arrival,  they  landed  on  the  shore  like  a 
party  of  shipwrecked  mariners — squalid,  filthy,  and  attenuated. 
15 


338  (? OLDEN    Dkeams 

For  thirteen  dajs,  and  nearly  as  many  nights,  they  had  been 
crowded  together  in  that  open  boat — the  sun,  and  the  rain, 
and  the  dew,  had  had  full  sway  over  them,  and  if  it  had  not 
been  for  the  constant  effort  required  to  keep  the  canoe  from 
upsetting,  they  would  certainly  have  run  together  like  so 
many  sticks  of  molasses  candy. 

They  had  carried  sail  across  the  lake,  and  owing  to  the 
tipsy  nature  of  their  craft,  they  had  been  obliged  to  preserve 
the  centre  of  gravity  by  constantly  shifting  their  position. 
When  the  wind  blew  freshly,  they  sat  on  the  weather  side  of 
the  boat  to  keep  her  steady;  and  when  the  wind  lulled,  they 
transferred  their  weight  more  to  the  centre.  If  the  wind  had 
been  aft,  they  would  have  made  the  passage  in  twenty -four 
hours,  or  even  less  ;  but  as  it  was  directly  contrary,  and  they 
could  beat  to  windward  but  little  better  than  a  tub,  they 
were  more  than  a  week  in  getting  to  San  Carlos,  having  in 
that  time  sailed  over  nearly  every  square  foot  in  the  whole 
surface  of  the  lake. 

San  Juan,  where  we  passed  a  miserable  week,  is,  even 
after  seeing"  San  Carlos,  one  of  the  most  uninteresting  places 
that  can  be  imagined.  The  land  is  even  flatter  than  the  sea. 
It  is  a  low  sandy  plain,  just  rising  above  the  water,  agreeably 
diversified  with  stagnant  marshes,  and  hemmed  in  by  unwhole- 
some-looking forests.  A  few  mushroom  houses  seem  to  have 
sprung  up  out  of  the  sand,  and  among  them  three  or  four 
hotels,  of  the  same  board  and  shingle  pattern  that  is  so  odious 
even  in  its  native  Xew  England. 

At  one  of  the  best  or  worst  of  these  we  secured  board  and 
lodgings  for  one  dollar  a  day,  until  the  steamer,  which  was 
now  expected,  should  arrive,  and  again  get  ready  to  sail. 
Our  impatience  grew  greater  every  hour.  Home  was  now  so 
near  that  we  murmured  at  the  least  delay.  We  even  turned 
our  thoughts  regretfully  backward  to  the  cool  and  quiet  tent 
we  had  left  standing  among  the  breezy  hills  of  Natoma,  and 
to  the  comparatively  luxurious  life  we  had  led  there  in  our 


AND     L  E  A  D  E  X     REALITIES.  339 

hermit  solitude.  Here  we  were  in  positive  danger  of  famine. 
Provisions  became  every  day  more  scarce,  and  every  meal 
was  worse  than  the  one  before  it.  To  make  matters  worse, 
the  Prometheus  arrived  on  Wednesday,  and  a  large  propor- 
tion of  her  passengers,  who  had  gone  up  the  river  intending  to 
cross  over  to  the  Pacific,  were  obliged  to  return,  after  reach- 
ing the  ujDper  rapids,  for  want  of  provisions  ;  so  that  the 
whole  number  of  Americans  now  in  town  was  at  least  four 
hundi'ed,  which  was  apparently  quite  equal  to  the  permanent 
oopulation. 

There  were  plenty  of  liquors,  however,  for  even  a  much 
larger  increase  ;  and  drinking  and  card-playing  filled  up  every 
hour.  The  Sunday  after  our  arrival,  a  party  were  called  from 
their  game  to  attend  a  dying  comrade.  His  death  was  ex- 
tremely sudden,  owing,  as  v/as  supposed,  to  an  excessive  dose 
of  morphine.  But  nobody  cared,  not  even,  so  far  as  I  could 
perceive,  the  party  to  which  he  belonged  ;  indeed,  Ohio,  with 
his  mechanical  tenderness,  manifested  more  pity  than  all 
besides.  But,  as  I  had  often  had  occasion  to  observe,  a 
nomadic  life  is  not  favourable  to  the  gentler  virtues,  and,  of 
all  virtues,  the  rarest  is  an  abstract  humanity.  What  often 
goes  under  that  name  is  nothing  but  decency,  and  a  selfish 
regard  to  the  opinion  of  others,  and  both  these  motives  lose 
almost  their  entire  force  when  all  are  strangers,  and  expect 
soon  to  be  separated  forever. 

At  length  it  was  announced  that  the  Independence,  the 
Pacific  steamer,  had  arrived  ;  and,  her  passengers  being  first 
provided  for,  a  certain  number  of  tickets  were  to  be  disposed 
of.  Long  before  the  appointed  hour,  an  eager  crowd  had 
assembled  round  the  office.  The  agent  took  his  station  at  an 
open  window  about  eight  feet  from  the  ground,  with  some 
rude  steps  placed  against  the  building,  so  that  a  man  standing 
at  the  top  could  rest  his  chin  conveniently  on  the  window-sill. 
■Having  been  fortunate  enough  to  obtain  our  own  tickets  early 
in  the  day,  we  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  watch,  from  our  post 


340  Golden    Dreams 

of  observation,  the  progress  of  the  fight.  Fifty  aspirants 
were  gathered  round  the  little  window,  which  they  seemed 
about  to  enter  in  a  body.  They  advanced  against  it  in  three 
different  directions — from  the  right — from  the  left — and  from 
the  front.  Each  man  pasted  himself  to  the  one  before  him, 
fearful  lest  any  rival  should  dispossess  him.  They  fitted 
together  as  closely  as  a  bundle  of  spoons.  But  all  these 
forces  met  at  the  centre,  as  in  a  focus.  The  man  who  at 
length  succeeded  in  reaching  the  top  was  directly  squeezed  as 
flat  as  a  pancake.  He  inserted  both  his  arms  into  the  win- 
dow, not  to  maintain  his  position,  but  because  there  was  no 
room  for  them  anywhere  else.  He  could  by  no  possibility  get 
liis  hand  into  his  pocket,  and  must  have  his  money  all  ready 
in  his  fist  before  he  started  on  his  perilous  adventure.  "When 
at  last  the  ticket  was  secured,  the  crowd  was  rent  violently  as 
by  an  earthquake,  or  the  pains  of  travail.  He  came  out, 
nobody  could  tell  how  nor  where.  He  almost  always  lost  his 
bat,  and  was  fortunate  if  he  met  with  no  greater  calamity. 

A  fierce  struggle  then  succeeded  to  see  who  should  obtain 
the  post  of  honour.  There  were  three  next  best  men,  the 
beads  of  their  respective  columns.  But  I  noticed  that  it  so 
happened  that  the  one  in  front  almost  invariably  gained  the 
advantage.  Whether  it  was  that  the  other  two  parties 
aeutralized  each  other,  or  that  a  straightforward  course  Ls 
always  the  best,  the  most  the  sidelings  could  do  was  to  main- 
tain their  ground. 

I  was  especially  interested  in  the  fate  of  one  promising 
individual  who  made  his  approaches  from  the  left.  He  had 
been  for  a  long  time  the  head  of  his  party,  and  once  or  twice 
seemed  on  the  very  point  of  reaching  the  window.  He  even 
got  one  foot  on  to  the  topmost  step,  and  with  one  hand  grasped 
the  window  frame.  His  hat  was  gone — his  face,  by  the  vio- 
lence of  his  exertions,  had  become  nearly  as  red  as  his  hair — 
his  arm  visibly  lengthened,  and  I  expected  every  instant  to 
see  his  finsicrs  starting  from  their  sockets. 


AND   Leaden   Realities.  341 

Still  he  clung  to  his  hold  with  a  tenacity  that  nothing  could 
overcome.  Once  or  twice,  indeed,  some  one  would  get  before 
him,  and  oa  such  occasions  it  seemed  absolutely  impossible 
that  any  fingers,  but  of  iron,  should  endure  the  strain.  His 
head  was  pinned  up  flat  against  the  side  of  the  house,  and  he 
turned  his  face  to  the  crowd  with  a  look  of  mingled  defiance 
and  suppUcation,  and  a  lurking  consciousness  of  the  ludicrous- 
ness  of  his  situation,  that  were  perfectly  irresistible. 

For  nearly  an  hour  he  remained  in  this  position,  sometimes 
gaining  an  inch,  and  sometimes  losing,  till  it  seemed  really 
dangerous  to  laugh  any  longer,  and  we  were  about  to  leave, 
when  a  sudden  revolution  brought  him  at  last  face  to  face 
with  the  agent. 

"  I'll  take  a  ticket,  if  you  please,"  he  gasped,  nervously 
holding  out  his  money. 

"No  more  tickets  are  to  be  sold  to-day,"  returned  the 
awful  functionary,  as  if  he  had  been  the  Iron  Duke  himself. 
"  No  more  tickets." 

This  was  the  climax — the  ridiculous  had  fairly  reached 
the  sublime — there  was  a  completeness,  a  proportion  in  all  its 
parts,  that  was  beyond  laughter — the  mind  could  not  suffi- 
ciently recover  from  its  surprise  and  admiration  to  feel  such 
a  genial  emotion.  It  was  like  a  picture  of  Hogarth's,  where 
our  wonder  at  the  painter's  ingenuity  interferes  with  our 
enjoyment  of  the  scene  itself — if  it  were  not  done  so  well,  the 
first  effect,  at  least,  would  be  more  striking. 

But  lest  the  tender-hearted  reader  should  feel  too  lively  a 
concern  for  the  fate  of  this  unfortunate  Phoebus,  and  perhaps 
accuse  me  of  hard-heartedness  in  the  premises,  I  would  hasten 
to  inform  her  that  all  who  wished,  finally  succeeded  in  obtain- 
ing tickets.  Our  apprehensions  were,  indeed,  utterly  ground- 
less, for  it  is  well  known  that  there  is  no  limit  to  the  capacity 
of  a  California  steamer. 

Sunday  morning,  a  week  after  our  arrival,  we  went  to  sea. 
Nothing  occurred  during  our  voyage  worthy  of  mention — we 


342  GoLDEX   Dreams 

spent  one  day  in  Havana — had  the  usual  proportion  of  storms 
and  calms,  and  on  the  9th  of  Xovember  entered  the  harbour 
of  New  York,  nearly  three  years  after  my  leaving  home. 
Every  object  was  greeted  as  warmly  as  if  it  had  been  an  old 
acquaintance.  Tiiere  was  Castle  Garden  where  Jenny  Lind 
won  her  earlier  triumphs  ;  and  beyond  lay  the  imperial  city, 
every  one  of  whose  swarming  thousands  seemed  to  me  like  a 
brother.  As  we  drew  near  the  wharves,  I  felt  that  we  were 
the  great  object  of  attraction,  and  ray  heart  swelled  within 
me  with  conscious  vanity,  as  I  thought  how  one  would  point 
me  out  to  another,  and  say,  "  There  goes  a  Californiau  !" 

I  had  no  fears  lest  I  should  remain  undetected  and  unno- 
ticed among  the  great  crowd  of  ragamufiBns  that  thronged 
the  streets.  There  was  an  unmistakable  stamp  of  vagabond- 
ism about  me  that  defied  all  rivalry  and  all  imitation.  It 
would  be  strange,  indeed,  if,  with  the  advantages  of  three 
years'  travel,  I  had  not  acquired  a  decided  superiority  over 
those  who  had  had  no  such  opportunity  of  improving  then* 
natural  capacity.  I  exulted  at  the  thought  of  the  despairing 
envy  with  which  I  should  be  regarded  by  all  the  tatterdemal- 
ions of  the  metropolis,  and  the  futility  of  all  their  efforts  to 
catch  the  secret  of  a  shabbiness  matured  and  perfected  by  a 
long  course  of  severe  and  untiring  study  by  land  and  sea.  I 
should  be  the  leader  of  the  fashions  for  the  Five  Points,  the 
Beau  Brummel  of  beggars,  the  D'Orsay  of  the  kennel. 

But  as  the  Broadway  fop,  though  drest  in  the  height  of 
the  fashion  from  top  to  toe,  yet  prides  himself  especially  on 
his  spotless  beaver,  so  I,  though  it  was  hard  to  say  that  one 
part  of  my  attire  was  less  worthy  of  admiration  than  another, 
yet  rested  my  claims  to  distinction  principally  on  my  hat.  It 
had  belonged  originally  to  that  species  denominated  the 
Californiau,  and  bearing  a  strong  resemblance  to  that  patron- 
ized, under  the  cognomen  of  Kossuth,  by  the  blacklegs  of  the 
metropolis  and  the  shop-boys  of  our  smaller  cities  ;  but  when 
I  landed  in  New  York,  it  was  a  simple  individual — the  only 


AND    Leaden   Realities.  343 

one  of  its  kind — and  no  longer  susceptible  of  classification. 
For  six  weeks  it  had  been  my  faithful  companion.  Through 
all  that  time  it  had  been  in  constant  use  either  as  a  drinking 
cup,  a  night-cap,  a  sun-shade,  or  an  umbrella.  But  its  spirit 
and  vitality  had  forsaken  it,  and  the  glory  of  its  brim  had 
departed.  It  flapped  over  my  ears,  it  flapped  over  my  neck, 
it  flapped,  worst  of  all,  over  my  eyes.  Yet  if  a  curve  is  the 
line  of  lieauty,  my  hat  must  have  been  the  most  beautiful 
object  in  existence.  It  had  as  many  curves  as  a  ram's  horn 
or  a  grape-vine,  or  any  other,  the  most  curvedest  thing  in 
nature. 

"  Where  do  you  wish  to  go  ?"  inquired  the  hack  driver, 
with  even  more  than  characteristic  politeness,  and  surveying 
US  from  head  to  foot  with  undisguised  admiration. 

"  No.  — ,  Avenue  — ." 

The  driver  stared  again,  harder  than  ever,  and  a  crowd  of 
ragged  boys — those  observing  beings — standing  by,  repeated 
the  words  in  a  tone  of  incredulous  wonder.  But  away  we 
went — the  hack  drew  up  before  the  house,  and  we  walked  up 
the  steps  with  an  air  intended  to  show  the  driver  that  we^ 
were  somebody.  A  servant  answered  our  ring,  but  started 
back  at  sight  of  two  such  desperate  villains,  and  was  about 
to  close  the  door  in  our  faces,  when,  feeling  that  it  was  neces- 
sary to  make  a  determined  effort,  we  pushed  past  her  into 
the  house,  and  requested  to  see  the  lady.  At  that  moment 
she  appeared,  summoned  by  the  sound  of  voices,  but  stopt 
half  way  down  the  stairs,  while  two  little  chil'dren,  half  hidden 
in  the  folds  of  her  dress,  peeped  timidly  forth  at  the  ugly 
Strangers.  After  enjoying  the  scene  a  moment  in  silence,  we 
pronounced  the  familiar  name,  and  claimed  the  rights  of  our 
relationship. 

"  Why,  Mrs. !"  whispered  Bridget  involuntarily,  and 

holding  up  her  hands,  "  are  those  awful  looking  men  your 
brothers  !  I" 

I  was  glad  to  hear  the  answer,  for  I  had  begun  to  doubt 


344  Golden   Dreams,   etc. 

my  own  identity.  But  twenty-four  hours  wrought  a  wondrous 
revolution  not  only  with  us,  but  with  the  greater  part  of  our 
fellow  passengers.  At  the  end  of  that  time  it  was  no  longer 
possible  to  find  in  the  streets  of  Xew  York  a  solitary  survivor 
of  the  three  hundred  scarecrows  that  had  landed  from  the 
Prometheus  the  day  before.  There  was  a  sudden  accession 
of  trade  to  the  dealers  in  ready-made  clothing.  The  rag 
merchants  grew  rich  with  unexampled  rapidity,  and  began  to 
think  of  enlarging  their  operations.  Our  long  life  of  entire 
freedom  and  independence  was  at  length  over,  and  we  hastened 
to  resume  the  shackles  of  civilization.  A  single  day  sufficed 
to  convert  us  from  the  careless,  slouching  Californian,  into  the 
precise  and  angular  citizen.  Our  romance  is  ended — our 
little  episode  is  complete — and  we  sink,  like  a  drop  of  water 
in  the  ocean,  into  the  flat  monotony  of  our  commonplace 
existence.     Ah  loque  es  el  mundo. 


THE     END, 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


"WT, 


REC'D  LD"t)WL 


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R^'D  LD-b'RL 

ORION  ^j. 

MAR  2  1    J990 


315 


THE  LIFCARY 


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